UC-NRLF 


SIT 


3»/,~ 


BERKELEY 

LIBRARY 


UNIVE: 

CALli 


A  VISIT  TO  EUROPE 


HOLY  LAND 


NEW  >TORK 

THE  CATHOLIC  PUBLIC ATION  -SOCIETY  CO. 

• 
LONDON  :  &  GATES,  LIMITED 

LEET 

1888 


1 


A  VISIT  TO  EUROPE 


HOLY  LAND 


KEY.  H.  F.  FAIKBANKS 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CATHOLIC  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY  CO. 

9  BARCLAY  STREET 

LONDON  :    BURNS  &  GATES,  LIMITED 
28  ORCHARD  STREET 

1888 


Copyright,  1888, 
BY  H.  F.  FAIRBANKS. 


J.OAN  STACK 


F3 


HOLY    FAMILY    OF    NAZARETH, 
JESUS,     MARY,    AND   JOSKPH, 

THIS  BOOK  IS 

MOST    HUMBLY    DEDICATED 

BY 

THEIR    UNWORTHY    SERVANT, 

THE  A  UTHOE. 


413 


PREFACE. 


/  IN  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavored  to 
describe  what  I  saw,  and  the  impressions  re- 
ceived, during  a  visit  to  some  of  the  most 
interesting  countries  of  the  Old  World,  from 
the  point  of  view  of  an  honest  and  unpreju- 
diced American.  The  time  that  I  was  abroad 
might  be  considered  by  some  as  insufficient  to 
obtain  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  mat- 
ters about  which  I  write.  My  answer  to  this 
is,  that  I  have  not  attempted  the  impossible, 
and  I  am  well  aware  that  few  men  are  able 
to  write  a  thoroughly  philosophical  treatise  on 
the  historical,  political,  and  social  life  of  even 
their  own  native  land.  I  am  also  cognizant 
of  the  fact  that  many  foreigners,  after  a  brief 
sojourn  in  other  countries,  attempt  to  discuss 
them  intelligently,  a  work  which  they  often- 
times would  not  be  able  to  accomplish  if  they 
had  lived  in  them  their  whole  lives.  Yet  it 
must  be  admitted  by  all  that  previous  tfcor- 
ough  preparation  and  honesty  of  purpose  will 
enable  the  traveller  to  make  more  correct  ob- 


4  Preface. 

servations,  and  to  understand  better  the  cus- 
toms, character,  and  condition  of  the  people 
whom  he  visits,  than  would  be  possible  for 
those  less  honest  or  less  intelligent,  who  might 
take  up  their  residence  among  them  many 
months,  or  even  years. 

The  book  which  I  now  present  to  the  pub- 
lic does  not  pretend  to  high  things,  but  is  a 
simple  narrative  of  the  travels  of  one  who 
never  before  had  been  out  of  America,  where 
his  ancestors  have  lived  for  nearly  two  and 
one-half  cen  turies.  \ 

I  did  not  go  abroad  with  the  idea  that 
everything  American  is  right  and  everything 
in  Europe  wrong.  I  tried  to  look  on  all  that 
I  saw  in  an  honest  and  truthful  light.  I  was 
willing  to  learn,  and  to  conform  myself  to  the 
manners  and  way  of  life  of  those  with  whom 
I  came  in  contact.  I  did  not  expect  that 
Europe  would  adopt  American  customs  for 
my  particular  benefit ;  in  fact,  I  am  glad  that 
it  did  not,  for  by  so  doing  my  journey  would 
have  been  much  less  agreeable.  While  I  may 
have  doubts  whether  I  would  prefer  to  live 
in  Europe  or  America,  I  am  certain  that  I 
would  prefer  to  travel  in  Europe./ 

I  am  aware  of  the  fact  that  many  books 
have  been  written  on  European  and  Palestine 


Preface.  5 

travel ;  but  it  is  well  known  that  hardly  any 
of  them  have  been  written  by  Catholic  Ameri- 
cans. Our  people,  both  Catholics  and  non- 
Catholics,  have  read  too  many  books  of  travel 
written  by  dishonest  writers,  or  else  by  those 
who  are  so  narrow  in  their  views  and  so 
ill-informed  with  reference  to  the  countries 
through  which  they  passed  that  their  state- 
ments and  " facts"  have  been  a  mere  travesty 
of  truth.  I  am  convinced  that  there  has  been 
in  America  a  long-existing  need,  but  a  poor 
supply,  of  books  of  travel  written  by  travellers 
who  are  able  to  see  with  honest  eyes,  arid  who 
do  not  go  abroad  with  preconceived  prejudices, 
which  they  are  determined  to  confirm  by  per- 
verted facts  and  short-sighted  observations. 

Being  conscious  of  this  need,  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  do  my  share  to  remedy  the  deficiency 
by  presenting  this  book  to  my  co-religionists 
and  countrymen,  with  the  hope  that  they  will 
find  it  entertaining  and  instructive./ 

H.  F.  FAIEBANKS. 

Milwaukee,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Atlantic  Voyage  and  the  Emerald  Isle 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
Wales  and  England 28 

CHAPTER  III. 
La  Belle  France 38 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Northern  Italy  and  Rome 56 

CHAPTER  V. 
Southern  Italy  and  the  Voyage  to  Egypt 66 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Land  of  the  Pharaos  and  of  the  Pyramids 79 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Pyramids— Refuge  of  the  Holy  Family  in  Egypt— Our 

Voyage  to  Palestine 97 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Jaffa  and  the  Road  to  Jerusalem 110 

7 


8  Contents. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Holy  City,  Jerusalem 122 

CHAPTER  X. 
Some  Sacred  Places  near  Jerusalem 146 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Jewish  Temple  on  Mount  .Moria,  and  the  First  Christian 

Church  on  Mount  Sion 157 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Bethlehem.... ,     172 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Jericho  and  the  Dead  Sea 182 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  Morning  and  Day  in  Palestine 194 

• 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  "  Hill-Country  of  Judea  "  and  House  of  the  Visitation . .     200 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
"  Nobis  Donet  in  Patria" 207 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Mount  Carmel — The  Mountain  of  the   Prophets  and  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary 210 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Light  of  Nazareth 216  \ 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
"  His  Own  Country" 226 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Departure  from  the  Holy  Land 238 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
From  Alexandria  to  Naples 244 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
"  See  Naples  and  then  Die  " 252 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
The  Eternal  City 263 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  Holy  Father— Education,  Religion,  and  Art 283 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Sacred  and  Historic  Places  of  Pagan  and  Christian  Rome. . .    293 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
From  Rome  to  Loretto. 320 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Bologna,  Padua,  and  Venice 329 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Northern  Italy  and  Southern  Switzerland 346  / 


I  o  Contents. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Home  of  William  Tell  and  the  Four  Forest  Cantons. ...     360 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

From  Lake  Constance  to  the  City  of  the  Apostle  of  Germany, 

by  way  of  Munich 367 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

From  Mainz  to  Cologne — The  Vine- clad  and  Castle-crowned 

Rhine 379 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

From  the  Banks  of  the  Rhine  to  Belgium's  and   Holland's 

Capitals 388 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Return  to  England,  and  a  Trip  to  Scotland 402 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The  Emerald  Gem  of  the  Ocean 422 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Cashel  of  the  Kings  and  the  Lakes  of  Killarney 453  / 


A  VISIT  TO 

EUROPE  AND  THE  HOLY  LAND, 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   ATLANTIC   VOYAGE  AND   THE  EMERALD  ISLE. 

\THE  afternoon  of  a  bright  day  in  the  early 
part  of  the  month  of  May,  in  the  year  1884, 
found  us  aboard  one  of  the  large  Atlantic  steam- 
ers, which  had  thrown  off  her  lines  and  was 
gradually  floating  out  of  New  York  harbor  to- 
wards the  broad  ocean. 

It  was  our  first  trip  to  the  Old  World,  and  the 
varied  sensations  as  we  steamed  down  the  bay, 
past  the  various  objects  of  interest,  towards  the 
vast  Atlantic  were  new  and  strange  to  us.  Our 
eyes  lingered  lovingly  on  the  receding  shores  of 
our  native  land,  and  as  we  bid  them  adieu  me- 
mory dwelt  fondly  on  the  friends  and  loved  ones 
whom  we  had  left  at  home. 

There  were  three  of  us :  Rev.  Thomas  Fagan, 
of  Bay  Yiew  ;  Rev.  Joseph  Keenan,  of  Fond  du 
Lac — two  clerical  friends — and  myself,  all  of  the 


12  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Archdiocese  of  Milwaukee.  A  few  weeks  before 
we  had  decided  that  the  time  had  come  to  make 
a  visit  to  Europe  and  the  Orient.  Our  passage 
and  rooms  had  been  secured,  and  at  last  we 
were  leaving  America  ;  and,  although  the  time 
for  our  travels  was  limited,  perhaps  we  should 
never  return,  or,  returning,  what  changes  might 
take  place  during  our  absence  !  I 

Darkness  at  length  settled  down  over  the 
waters  of  the  deep,  and  the  morning  only  re- 
vealed to  us  a  leaden  sky  and  an  expanse  of 
black,  gloomy  waves.  The  record  of  one  day 
was  the  repetition  of  another,  except  that  some 
days  were  sunshiny  and  others  were  dismal  with 
a  dense  fog  or  dark,  threatening  weather  ;  and 
sometimes  the  ever- restless  ocean  was  less  rest- 
less, and  sometimes  wilder  and  more  angry. 
Some  of  the  passengers  enjoyed  themselves,  and 
considered  the  voyage  a  most  pleasant  affair.  I 
disliked  it  very  much.  I  was  not  sea-sick,  but 
my  entire  surroundings  had  a  most  depressing 
effect  on  my  spirits.  If  ever  again  I  cross  the 
Atlantic  it  will  be  on  the  fastest  steamer  that 
sails  the  sea.  Too  much  imagination  is  very  dis- 
agreeable when  you  are  a  thousand  miles  from 
land,  and  your  steamer,  with  its  living  cargo, 
is  only  a  speck  on  the  immensity  of  waters.  I 
looked  put  upon  the  dark  and  troubled  sea,  and 


and  tlic  Holy  Land.  13 

sometimes  not  even  a  white- winged  ship  was  in 
sight  during  the  entire  day.  Neither  did  the 
sportive  finny  tribes  nor  monsters  of  the  deep 
display  themselves.  A  few  sea-gulls  here  and 
there  were  seen  enjoying  themselves  over  the 
waves,  many  hundred  miles  from  their  rocky 
homes.  Or  have  they  a  home?  Is  the  ocean 
their  home,  or  the  rocky  crag  where  they  build 
their  nests  ?  \ 

My  only  real  recreation  was  reading.  I  read 
the  principal  poems  of  two  or  three  volumes  of 
poetry  ;  but  I  enjoyed  myself  best  in  reading 
and  taking  notes  from  a  work  entitled  Walks  in 
Rome.  Our  steamer — like  all  those  of  all  lines 
sailing  from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  so  far  as  I 
know — was  thoroughly  English.  And  as  many 
of  the  passengers  lived  in  some  portion  of  the 
British  Isles,  for  the  last  two  days  of  the  voy- 
age there  was  a  cheerful  air  about  nearly  every 
one  in  anticipation  of  home.  Even  we  ourselves 
began  to  get  animated  at  the  thought  that,  if 
not  approaching  our  own  homes,  we  were  draw- 
ing near  the  land  of  our  ancestors.  \ 

Early  in  the  forenoon  of  the  ninth  day  from 
New  York  old  voyagers  said  that  land  was  visi- 
ble, and  aided  the  less  experienced  travellers  to 
get  sight  of  it ;  but  a  thin  haze  very  much  im- 
peded their  and  our  effort.  It  was  not  long, 


14  A    Visit  to  Europe 

however,  before  the  dim  outlines  of  the  Great 
Skellig  Rock  could  be  distinguished  from  the 
clouds  and  water  by  the  more  inexperienced  eye. 
Then  other  ropks  appeared,  and,  finally,  the  blue 
line  of  the  southern  mainland  of  Ireland,  and 
farther  in  the  interior,  rising  higher,  .could  be 
seen  the  mountains  of  Kerry.  | 

This  was  our  first  sight  of  the  Old  World,  and 
the  indistinctness  with  which  we  saw  it  lent  a 
wonderful  enchantment  to  the  view.  There,  not 
far  away,  lay  ancient  Erin,  the  beautiful  Emerald 
Isle,  which  even  in  modern  times  possesses  such 
a  magic  influence  over  the  hearts  of  all  her  chil- 
dren. We  were  approaching  nearer  and  nearer 
to  grand,  faithful,  Catholic  Ireland,  the  "Island 
of  Saints  and  Scholars."  It  was  not  the  land  of 
my  ancestors,  but  it  was  the  home  of  the  fathers 
and  mothers  and  the  birthplace  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  those  who  are  among  the  nearest  arid  dear- 
est to  me  of  any  in  this  life.  With  my  mind 
filled  with  memories  of  her  past  glories  and 
sanctity,  of  her  centuries  of  sorrow  and  martyr- 
dom, and  with  the  thought  of  her  present  hopes, 
with  the  affection  I  hold  for  many  to  whom  the 
welfare  of  that  island  is  dearer  than  life,  I  could 
not  help  being  stirred  with  deep  emotion,  so  that 
I  hardly  dared  speak  a  single  sentence  lest  the 
fulness  of  my  heart  might  become  too  manifest. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  15 

The  southern  coast  looked  brown,  bleak,  and 
barren,  and  the  waves  could  be  seen  dashing  into 
white  foam  against  it.  A  number  of  sails  were 
seen,  indicating  the  near  approach  to  busy  life. 
The  waters  of  the  ocean  gradually  changed  from 
their  dark  color  into  the  most  beautiful  green 
that  I  have  ever  seen.  We  passed  Fastnet  Light 
and  Old  Head  of  Kinsale,  while  the  coast  became 
more  settled  and  cultivated.  We  could  see 
houses  and  villages,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a  glass, 
trees  and  hedge  rows,  and  green  fields  which,  to 
the  unaided  eye,  had  appeared  brown.  \ 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  on  Satur- 
day we  arrived  in  the  Cove  of  Cork,  or  harbor  of 
Queertfetown.  Our  steamer  came  to  a  stop,  and 
we  were  transferred  to  a  tender  which  would 
convey  us  to  the  land.  The  harbor  is  very  fine, 
and  the  shores  were  covered  with  the  typical 
emerald  green.  As  we  started  towards  the  shore 
we  gave  a  farewell  cheer  to  the  great  ship  that 
had  borne  us  safely  across  the  Atlantic,  and 
waved  "  adieu"  to  those  companions  of  our  voy- 
age who  did  not  land.  Everything  about  us  was 
now  Irish.  The  voices,  the  laughter,  the  coun- 
tenances, and  the  scene  were  all  Irish.  The 
sights  and  surroundings  were  thoroughly  Irish, 
and  I  fully  enjoyed  them.  At  the  landing  we 
were  met  by  a  good-sized  crowd  of  "Hiber- 


1 6  -A    Visit  to  Europe 

nian  gems/'  old  men  with  donkey-carts  drawn 
by  sleepy -looking  donkeys,  and  boys  of  every 
size,  with  good-natured,  smiling  faces,  ready  to 
offer  their  services  to  carry  our  luggage  to  the 
hotel.  Having  chosen  several  as  our  escort,  we 
walked  with  the  procession  to  the  nearest  hotel, 
where  we  registered  and  were  soon  resting, 
thankful  that  we  were  once  more  on  dry  land, 
and  in  the  Old  World,  where  the  day-dreams  of 
our  life  were  about  to  be  realized.  But  let  no 
one  imagine  that  in  the  midst  of  strange  and  at- 
tractive surroundings  we  did  not  think  of  our 
far-off  home  and  friends.  Into  my  heart  gradu- 
ally and  silently  stole  a  frequent  and  unwelcome 
companion  of  my  entire  journey — homesickness 
—which  tinged  the  bright  green  'scenes  around 
me  with  a  sombre  hue.  \ 

After  a  brief  rest  we  started  out  for  a  walk. 
It  does  not  take  long  to  see  Queenstown,  but 
as  it  was  the  first  place  that  we  had  visited  in 
Ireland  everything  seemed  most  interesting. 
We  visited  the  new  cathedral,  and  wandered 
through  the  streets  and  pleasure-grounds  look- 
ing at  everything.  I  began  thus  early  to  gather 
leaves  and  flowers  as  mementoes,  and  bought 
some  shamrocks  to  send  home  in  letters  which  I 
would  write  in  the  evening.  In  the  morning  we 
attended  Mass  at  the  cathedral.  Two  of  our 


and  the  Holy  Land.  1 7 

number  did  not  usually  say  Mass,  except  in 
places  of  special  devotion,  as  we  knew  that  it 
was  often  inconvenient  for  the  pastors  of  church- 
es to  have  foreign  priests  saying  Mass  at  irregu- 
lar hours,  especially  on  Sundays. 

After  Mass  we  started  for  Cork  by  boat,  as  we 
wished  to  behold  with  our  own  eyes  the  far- 
famed  beauties  of  the  river  Lee.  They  are  not 
overestimated.  It  was  a  fine  Sunday  morning  in 
the  month  of  May,  and  the  ever-changing  pic- 
turesqueness  of  the  scenery  was  all  that  the 
heart  could  desire./ 

We  arrived  in  Cork  before  noon,  and,  having 
chosen  a  hotel  and  learned  the  hour  of  dinner, 
we  hired  a  jaunting-car  for  a  trip  to  Blarney.  It 
was  our  first  ride  on  a  jaunting-car,  and  from  the 
accounts  of  some  travellers  we  expected  that  it 
would  be  difficult  to  keep  our  seat.  Nothing  is 
farther  from  the  truth,  as  they  are  very  easy  and 
safe  vehicles  on  which  to  ride./ 

Cork  was  in  its  Sunday  attire,  and  we  saw  it 
at  its  best.  The  inhabitants,  who  are  good  spe- 
cimens of  the  southern  Celt,  were  well  dressed 
and  respectable-looking,  and  seemed  to  be  tho- 
roughly enjoying  themselves.  Crowds  of  peo- 
ple who  had  attended  late  Masses  were  coming 
out  of  the  churches,  and,  like  those  who  attend 
High  Mass  in  nearly  all  countries,  were  among 


i8  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  most  genuinely  respectable  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  city.  To  realize  that  we  were  in  a 
real  Irish  city  we  had  only  to  read  the  signs  on 
the  different  places  of  business.  The  smallest 
as  well  as  the  largest  had  on  it  the  name  of  an 
Irishman.  This  fact  produced  in  us  a  new  feel- 
ing never  before  experienced  :  that  all  around 
us,  the  worst  and  the  best,  the  poorest  and  the 
richest,  the  most  humble  and  the  highest  of  the 
land,  were  Irish.  This  same  peculiar  feeling, 
changing  according  to  circumstances,  was  to  a 
certain  extent  produced  by  the  thought  of  race 
or  nationality  in  other  countries,  but  its  novelty 
gradually  wore  away.  We  passed  by  many 
fine  pleasure-grounds  and  through  several  fine 
streets,  one  of  which  was  particularly  broad  and 
attractive,  with  grand  shade-trees  on  either  side./ 
The  country  was  fresh  and  flowery  in  spring- 
time and  the  ride  was  full  of  interest.  We 
passed  neat,  whitewashed  cottages  and  green 
fields  surrounded  by  bright  hedges ;  and  the 
grass  land  was  frequently  ornamented  by  sleek- 
looking  cows  and  contented-looking  sheep. 
Sometimes  a  mild-looking  donkey  of  gentle 
manners  added  variety  to  the  appearance  of 
the  neighborhood.  Pleasant  groups  of  merry 
children  completed  the  attractiveness  of  rural 
scenes.  We  often  saw  a  house  in  ruins,  with 


and  the  Holy  Land.  19 

walls  crumbling  and  roof  gone,  and  sometimes 
only  a  few  piles  of  stones  marked  the  site 
of  a  former  home,  to  which  perhaps  the  family 
love  of  centuries  clings.  When  we  asked  the 
question  about  their  former  occupants,  the 
driver  answered  :  i '  They  have  gone  to  Amer- 
ica" ;  and  the  quiet  stillness  of  the  day  added 
sadness  to  our  reflections./ 

But  there,  at  length,  lay  Blarney  before  us, 
with  the  far-famed  groves,  lake,  and  castle  of 
Blarney.  Passing  through  meadows  and  groves, 
we  came  to  the  castle.  It  is  a  very  solid, 
romantic  ruin,  built  by  Cormac  MacCarthy 
about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
We  climbed  up  the  heavy  stone  stairs  until 
we  were  near  the  top,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  celebrated  blarney-stone.  I  would  not 
attempt  to  kiss  it  for  all  the  blarney  pos- 
sessed by  the  entire  human  race  from  the 
beginning  of  time  until  now.  For  most  per- 
sons it  is  a  most  foolhardy  thing  to  do. 
One  of  our  number  did  not  even  see  it  ex- 
cept from  the  ground  below.  The  other 
member  made  up  for  this  lack  by  a  most 
gallant  attempt  to  acquire  the  gift,  which 
he  already  sufficiently  possessed.  He  claims 
that  he  succeeded.  I  can  testify  that  several 
men  held  him  by  the  heels  while  he  threw 


2O  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

himself  over  the  wide  opening  that  looks 
down  from  the  dizzy  height  of  a  hundred 
feet;  that  he  grasped  the  irons,  by  which  he 
let  himself  down  towards  the  stone,  and  made 
several  frantic  efforts  to  press  his  lijps  and 
tongue  against  it ;  but  whether  he  actually 
succeeded  will  never  be  exactly  known  to  any- 
body but  himself.  As  we  returned  through  the 
grounds  I  loitered  behind  to  hear  the  sweet 
notes  of  the  feathered  songsters  that  enlivened 
those  romantic  groves.  If  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  blarney  in  music,  they  possessed  it  of  the 
most  bewitching  kind.  But  why  should  they 
not  possess  it?  They  breathe  the  pure  air 
of  that  magic  locality,  and  drink  the  clear 
water  of  that  mysterious  lake,  and  live  and 
love  and  sing  out  their  souls  in  the  charming 
retreats  of  those  mystic  groves. 

We  returned  to  Cork  by  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  in  time  for  dinner.  After  dinner  we 
started  out  to  visit  the  city.  Almost  the  first 
sounds  that  greeted  our  ears  were 

"  The  bells  of  Shandon, 

That  sound  so  grand  on 
The  pleasant  waters  of  the  river  Lee."/ 

We  visited  every  church  in  the  city  but 
one,  and  all  in  which  there  were  afternoon  ser- 
vices were  filled  with  worshippers.  The  con- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  21 

gregutions  appeared  devout  and  the  services 
were  stately  and  solemn,  according  to  the 
rubrics,  and  breathing  the  spirit  of  the  church. 
Cork  was  one  of  the  largest  British  or  Eu- 
ropean cities  which  I  remember  to  have  seen 
having  no  street-cars ;  but  her  people  know 
how  to  observe  a  Christian  Sunday.  / 

On  Monday  morning  we  left  Cork  for  Dub- 
lin. It  was  our  first  experience  on  European 
railway-trains.  From  all  the  American  criti- 
cisms I  had  heard  about  the  compartment- 
cars,  I  did  not  expect  to  like  them ;  but  I 
was  mistaken.  They  are  not  so  finely  built 
as  ours,  but,  excepting  the  Pullman  and  simi- 
lar coaches,  in  many  respects  I  prefer  them. 
On  Am  ericanw  trains  I  usually  get  a  headache, 
but  rarely  did  I  get  it  on  those  of  Europe./ 

During  our  two  visits  to  Ireland  we  passed 
through  thirteen  counties,  and  obtained  a  very 
good  idea  of  the  country.  We  now  again  saw 
Blarney  Castle  in  the  distance,  and  also  ob- 
tained a  fine  and  extended  view  of  the  Gal- 
tee  mountains.  Soon  after  noon  we  arrived  in 
Thurles,  county  of  Tipperary,  and  concluded 
to  stop  over  until  the  evening  train.  The 
Archbishop  of  Cashel,  who  resides  here,  was 
making  a  visitation  of  his  diocese,  and  there- 
fore was  not  at  home;  but  wo  were  kindly  re- 


A    Visit  to  Europe 


ceived  by  one  of  the  priests  attached  to  the 
cathedral,  who  showed  us  everything  of  inte- 
rest connected  with  the  ecclesiastical  buildings 
of  the  place.  The  cathedral  is  the  finest,  and 
I  should  judge  the  largest,  church  that  I  saw 
in  Ireland.  It  possesses  a  magnificent  high 
altar  of  marble,  and  an  exquisite  tabernacle 
made  of  rare  and  antique  marbles  obtained  in 
Rome  and  other  places  by  the  late  archbishop. 
The  grand  chime  of  bells  was  set  ringing  for 
our  benefit,  and  played  several  of  the  national 
airs  of  Ireland./ 

After  leaving  our  kind  entertainer  we  took  a 
leisurely  stroll  through  the  town,  passing  some 
interesting  ruins  of  the  middle  ages  ;  but  we 
were  more  interested  in  the  streets,  houses,  and 
people  than  in  anything  else,  for  this  was 
our  first  visit  to  an  Irish  country  town.  Some 
ballad-singers  —  an  aged  man  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  —  were  moving  slowly  down  the  street, 
singing  a  ballad  with  sad  air  and  words,  re- 
counting the  sorrows  and  hopes,  and  the  patri- 
otism and  faith  of  the  people.  And,  after  all, 
a  very  strange  people  they  are  —  a  people  to 
whom  sorrow  has  become  an  inheritance  which 
they  treasure  and  love  almost  equally  with 
their  innocent  joys.  And  why  should  they  not 
love  the  memory  of  their  sorrows  ?  For  sorrow 


and  t/ic  Holy  Land.  23 

is  their  mother.  Joy  may  be  their  pure,  smil- 
ing sister  ;  and  even  she,  with  her  face  wreathed 
in  smiles,  has  the  features  and  sad  eyes  of  her 
mother.  But  the  sorrowful  Irish  mother,  who 
has  nourished  them  on  her  breast  and  directed 
their  eyes  to  heaven,  has  always  had  faithful 
children.  Why  then  should  they  not  sing  in 
sweet  and  plaintive  notes  the  story  of  their 
fidelity  ?  / 

Leaving  Thurles,  we  continued  our  journey 
towards  Dublin,  passing  up  through  the  Golden 
Yale  of  ancient  Erin,  past  the  Devil's  Bit  and 
Slieve  Bloom  Mountains,  and  past  villages  and 
towns  of  historical  associations  and  ruins.  Be- 
fore the  shadows  of  evening  had  rested  upon 
the  earth,  but  after  the  sun  was  already  set, 
the  train  made  quite  a  long  delay  at  Kildare, 
which  .gave  us  a  good  opportunity  of  viewing 
its  round-tower  and  ecclesiastical  ruins  in  the 
twilight.  Kildare  was  a  pleasing  picture  as  it 
appeared  in  the  mellow  light  of  departing  day, 
and  it  seemed  even  now  beautified  and  hal- 
lowed by  the  Christian  learniug  and  sanctity 
of  a  glorious  past,  when  St.  Bridget  and  her 
great  monastic  establishments  blessed  Ireland. 
We  arrived  in  Dublin  rather  late  in  the  even- 
ing, and  at  once  took  a  carriage  to  the  Impe- 
rial Hotel,  on  O'Connell  Street,  formerly  Lower 


24  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Sackville  Street.  On  our  return  to  Dublin  we 
stayed  at  both  the  Imperial  and  Morrison's 
hotels.  / 

The  next  morning  we  hired  a  jaunting-car 
and  drove  through  the  principal  parts  of  the 
city.  We  saw  the  old  Parliament  House,  Trin- 
ity College,  Dublin  Castle,  the  Four  Courts, 
the  Custom-house,  and  other  important  build- 
ings. On  our  return  to  Dublin  the  noted  and 
historic  buildings  of  the  city  became  to  us 
more  familiar  objects,  and  made  a  more  lasting 
impression  on  our  memory.  We  went  to  the 
Zoological  Gardens,  where  I  was  most  inter- 
ested in  a  very  cross  Irish  raven,  and  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  Irish  wolf-dog.  The  keeper 
informed  us  that  it  is  now  the  only  one  in 
existence  ;  certainly  there  are  but  two  or  three 
living  specimens  of  this  symbolical  Irish  dog. 
We  drove  through  Phoenix  Park,  which  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  British  Isles.  It  com- 
prises 1,760  acres,  is  seven  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  enjoys  many  delightful  views.  The 
spot  where  the  assassination  of  the  late  chief- 
secretary  and  under -secretary  took  place  was 
pointed  out,  which  was  marked  by  a  cross  in 
the  ground.  It  was  one  of  the  most  public 
places  of  the  park,  with  a  wide,  unobstructed 
view  in  every  direction,  not  even  a  tree  or 


and  the  Holy  Land.  25 

shrub  near  it ;  an  altogether  more  public  place 
than  I  had  supposed.  We  next  dro've  to  Glas- 
nevin,  and  as  we  wandered  through  the  silent, 
shaded  streets  of  the  city  of  the  dead  we  saw 
the  tombs  of  many  celebrated  men,  of  which 
the  grandest,  that  of  O'Connell,  rises  in  form 
and  height  like  an  ancient  Irish  round-tower. 
We  finished  the  ride  by  driving  to  St.  Patrick's 
Cathedral.  It  is  in  the  hands  of  Protestants, 
but  possesses  great  interest  for  Catholics,  who 
earnestly  pray  that  one  day  it  may  be  re- 
stored to  its  rightful  owners  and  service.  It 
was  founded  by  St.  Patrick  in  the  year  448 
over  a  well  where  he  had  baptized  the  king 
of  Dublin.  This  well  was  seen  during  the  re- 
cent repairs  made  on  the  church.  The  present 
edifice  was  built  by  Archbishop  Comyn  in 
1192,  and  is  a  grand  and  chaste  specimen  of 
Gothic  architecture.  So  strong  and  devotional 
is  the  hope  of  Catholic  Dublin  that  this  cathe- 
dral will  again  be  the  dwelling-place  of  the  In- 
carnate God  on  our  altars,  and  that  its  magni- 
ficent organ  and  sweet  and  powerful  chimes  of 
" joy-bells"  will  ring  out  their  joyful  peals  of 
praise  to  God  on  that  welcome  day,  that  no 
other  church  has  ever  been  dedicated  to  St. 
Patrick  in  Dublin.  / 

Later   in   the   day  each  of  us  started  out  on 


26  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  particular  excursion  that  most  took  his 
fancy.  I  took  the  tramway  for  Clontarf,  to 
look  over  the  ancient  battle  field  of  Brian  Boru, 
to  wander  around  in  the  neighborhood,  to  look 
out  upon  the  beauties  of  the  bay  and  its  sur- 
roundings, and  meditate  and  dream  on  the 
great  events  of  the  past  and  make  them  seem 
real  in  the  present.  It  was  a  clear,  beautiful 
afternoon,  and  that  quiet  suburb  of  Dublin 
was  in  an  almost  ideal  state  of  repose.  The  few 
persons  whom  I  met  had  such  modest  ways  and 
quiet  manners,  the  leaves  fluttering  in  the  faint 
breeze,  and  the  birds  singing  in  the  trees  were  so 
gentle,  that  neither  act  of  theirs  nor  unkind  breath 
of  nature  disturbed  the  calm  surface  of  my  soul, 
which,  like  a  placid  lake  under  a  summer  sky, 
mirrored  scenes  of  beauty  and  peace,  while  its 
more  sensitive  depths  felt  the  touch  of  the 
spirit  of  joy.  To  the  north  of  the  bay  the  black, 
bleak-looking  Hill  of  Howth  raised  its  historic 
head  ;  over  the  bay  to  the  south  the  Dublin 
mountains  calmly  lay,  three  peaks  more  noble 
than  the  rest  standing  against  the  southern 
sky.  I  wandered  out  into  the  country  under 
old,  magnificent  trees  and  through  large  and 
well-kept  pleasure-grounds.  In  this  walk  in 
the  suburbs  I  met  but  few  persons,  among 
them  a  beggar-woman  .  with  her  child  who 


and  the  Holy  Land.  27 

asked  for  alms — the  only  time  I  was  asked 
for  charity  during  my  visits  to  jDublin.  It 
seems  to  me  that  I  must  have  got  out  into 
that  quiet  neighborhood  where  Brian  Bora 
prayed  while  his  army  fought  the  invaders. 
And  in  the  realms  of  imagination,  in  which  I 
walked  almost  as  much  as  in  those  of  reality, 
I  do  not  know  that  I  should  have  been  sur- 
prised if  I  had  heard  the  sounds  of  battle 
breaking  upon  the  stillness  of  the  day,  and 
bad  seen  in  the  distance  towards  Dublin  the 
standards  of  ancient  Erin  waving  in  Tomar's 
Wood,  or  had  seen  the  ancient  monarch  of 
Ireland  praying  in  his  tent  while  others  fought. 
While  his  sons  and  countrymen  fought  he 
prayed,  but  by  prayer  he  fought  with  the 
golden  sword  of  Jeremias  given  to  Judas  Mach- 
abeus,  and,  like  him,  gained  the  victory.  But 
he  who  prayed  for  those  who  fought  sealed 
the  victory  with  his  life's  blood.  On  my  way 
back  I  saw  an  ancient  well  with  the  inscrip- 
tion:  "Well  of  Brian  Boru."/ 


28  A    Visit  to  Europe 


CHAPTER  II. 

WALES   AND   ENGLAND. 

\  THE  next  morning  we  took  passage  on  the 
Shamrock,  a  packet,  for  Holy  head,  where  we 
should  arrive  in  five  hours.  After  a  few  months 
we  wrould  return  and  make  a  longer  stay  in 
Ireland,  but  now  we  wanted  to  hasten  on  to- 
wards the  East. 

Dublin  Bay  was  so  brightly  reflected  in  the 
morning  sun  and  my  eyes  were  so  dazzled  that 
I  did  not  appreciate  it  so  well  as  I  did  the  day 
before,  which  led  me  to  suspect,  perhaps  incor- 
rectly, that  it  is  seen  to  best  advantage  from 
the  land. 

In  less  than  five  hours  of  a  not  unplea- 
sant passage  we  were  drawing  near  to  the 
Welsh  coast.  At  Holyhead  we  connected  wdth 
a  fast  train  for  London.  On  the  train  we  pass- 
ed across  the  Holy  Isle,  and  isle  of  Anglesea, 
and  the  whole  northern  part  of  rugged,  moun- 
tainous Wales.  The  scenery  is  very  romantic, 
with  its  fine  views  of  bays  and  sea  on  one  side, 
and  its  picturesque  mountains  on  the  other, 
and  its  forests,  its  fields,  and  excellent  houses. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  29 

Its  houses,  even  in  the  country,  are  well  built 
and  of  good  material,  and,  judging  fpm  a  hasty 
look,  equal  to  those  of  any  country  through 
which  we  passed.  The  quick  succession  of  wild 
and  beautiful  scenes  stirred  within  me  a  poetical 
feeling  which  manifested  itself  in  the  beginning 
of  a  poem  : 

When  brave  Llewellyn  led  his  host, 

When  Wales  was  proud  and  free, 
Where  mountain  cliffs  and  rock-bound  coast 

O'erlook  a  stormy  sea, 

No  people  ever  fought  more  brave 

Than  they  on  mountain  heights 
For  freedom  or  an  honored  grave, 

Their  country  and  their  rights.  / 

Over  the  borders  in  England  we  passed  through 
the  city  of  Chester,  whose  Gothic  cathedral  was 
built  in  the  eleventh  century  for  the  Benedic- 
tines "by  Hugh,  Earl  of  Chester,  assisted  by  St. 
Ansel m.  During  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon 
we  whirled  through  the  beautiful  farm  country 
of  England,  where  between  gently-rising  hills 
lay  many  smiling  vales.  We  rushed  past  green 
meadows  and  pastures  surrounded  by  tvell- 
trimmed  hedges  with  gateways,  on  either  side*  of 
which  stood  fine  shade- trees,  which,  with  fre- 
quent groves  dotting  the  landscape,  made  up  a 
repetition  of  rural  scenes  to  captivate  the  hearts 


3<3  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

of  lovers  of  the  peaceful  and  beautiful  in  nature. 
The  large-eyed,  contented-looking  cows  no  long- 
er looked  in  wonderment  at  passing  trains,  but 
grazed  quietly  or  hardly  raised  their  heads  to 
see  us,  while  others  rested  sleepily  in  the  shade 
of  some  noble  old  oak  or  stately  elm.  / 

Among  the  other  towns  which  we  passed  was 
Rugby,  and  I  took  in  every  object  of  interest  in 
it  or  its  surroundings  that  came  within  the  range 
of  my  vision.  Not  that  I  remembered  much 
about  the  place,  but  faint  glimpses  of  the  school 
days  of  "  Tom  Brown  "  stole  across  my  memory  ; 
and  although  the  events  recorded  in  a  book 
read  in  my  college  days,  when  but  sixteen  years 
of  age,  were  not  very  clear  to  my  mind,  I  re- 
membered that  there  was  near  the  town  a  plea- 
sant stream  running  through  green  fields,  where 
the  young  student  enjoyed  his  sports,  and  the 
scenes  new  to  my  eyes  were  brightened  by  the 
memories  of  years  ago.  Such  scenes  always  re- 
main green  in  the  hearts  of  old  boys./ 

During  the  afternoon  we  sometimes  glided 
quickly  along  by  the  side  of  a  river,  whose 
grassy  banks,  sylvan  shades,  and  sparkling  wa- 
ters commingled  to  form  a  pleasing  succession 
of  bright  pictures.  It  was  near  sunset  when  we 
passed  Rugby  ;  and  some  time  before  we  reach- 
ed the  end  of  our  day's  journey  night  came,  and 


and  the  Holy  Land.  3 1 

we  rushed  on  through  the  darkness  towards  Lon- 
don. On  our  arrival  we  put  up  at  ^he  Euston 
Hotel,  which  belongs  to  the  railroad  company, 
in  which  the  accommodations  were  good  ;  but 
on  our  return  we  preferred  a  more  central  plac^, 
and  took  rooms  at  the  Golden  Cross  Hotel,  near 
Charing  Cross.  All  London  seems  to  centre  at 
Charing  Cross./ 

The  next  morning  we  rose  early  and  looked 
out  of  our  windows  at  great,  smoky  London. 
Long  before  our  rising  we  were  unable  to  sleep 
on  account  of  the  noise  for  which  London  is 
noted.  It  was  a  holyday  of  obligation,  and 
our  first  interest  was  to  find  a  church  where 
we  could  attend  Mass.  After  some  inquiry 
and  search  we  found  a  church  of  rather  hum- 
ble pretensions  in  the  neighborhood.  Having 
assisted  at  Mass  and  returned  to  the  hotel  for 
our  breakfast,  we  started  out  to  see  the  city. 
Our  first  objective  point  was  the  City  Bank  of 
London,  in  Threadneedle  Street,  on  which  we 
had  letters  of  credit.  We  took  an  omnibus  to 
Charing  Cross,  and  from  there  found  our  way 
to  the  bank.  On  this  and  our  return  visit  we 
became  quite  well  acquainted  with  this  latter 
route,  in  fact,  the  only  part  of  London  that  I 
got  to  know  in  any  kind  of  familiar  way  was 
that  leading  from  Cheapside,  past  St.  Paul's 


32  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Cathedral  and  Ludgate,  down  Fleet  Street  and 
the  Strand,  past  Trafalgar  Square  and  Charing 
Cross,  through  Whitehall  and  Parliament  Street 
to  Westminster  Abbey  and  the  Houses  of  Par- 
liament. In  almost  any  other  part  of  London 
quite  probably  I  should  lose  my  way.  My 
only  course  when  I  wanted  to  go  elsewhere  was 
to  take  a  hansom,  which  is  a  quick  and  pleasant 
means  of  conveyance.  After  leaving  the  bank 
we  returned  to  St.  Paul's,  where  ten  o'clock  ser- 
vice was  progressing.  Perhaps  two  hundred 
persons  were  present,  some  of  whom,  like  our- 
selves, were  drawn  thither  by  curiosity.  The 
service  was  " higher"  than  I  had  expected  to 
find  in  St.  Paul's.  Catholic  vestments  were  not 
used,  but  the  officiating  minister  and  his  two 
assistants — like  deacon  and  subdeacon — stood 
with  their  backs  to  the  people,  and  the  minis- 
ter sang  the  preface  in  nearly  the  same  tone 
used  by  us.  We  left,  after  sufficiently  viewing 
the  church,  which,  although  large,  was  cold- 
looking  and  did  not  very  much  impress  me.  I 
then  hired  a  hansom  by  the  hour,  and  first  went 
to  the  British  Museum.  After  a  brief  look  at 
some  of  the  curiosities,  I  became  interested  in 
the  library,  where  I  remained  for  about  three 
hours,  entirely  forgetting  the  hansom.  On 
going  out  I  found  that  the  driver  was  looking 


and  the  Holy  Land.  33 

for  me,  thinking  he  had  lost  his  pay.  I  then 
went  to  Westminster  Abbey,  where ,;one  of  my 
companions  met  me.  Afternoon  services  were 
in  progress,  at  the  close  of  which  we  were 
at  liberty  to  walk  through  the  different  parts 
of  this  grand  and  interesting  old  edifice.  It 
was  founded  by  St.  Mellitus,  Bishop  of  Lon- 
don, in  the  sixth  century,  and  as  the  cathe- 
dral church  of  London  was  dedicated  to  St. 
Paul,  this  church  was  dedicated  to  St.  Peter. 
After  various  vicissitudes  of  fortune  it  was 
rebuilt  by  St.  Edward  the  Confessor  in  the 
eleventh  century,  and  again  rebuilt  by  Henry 
III.  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  to  which 
Henry  VII.  made  many  elegant  additions.  As 
we  walked  through  the  corridors  of  the  ancient 
abbey  we  read  many  inscriptions  in  the  pave- 
ment nearly  obliterated  by  the  footsteps  of  cen- 
turies, which  told  us  that  these  were  the  last 
resting-places  of  the  old  abbots  who  once  ruled 
here  to  the  honor  of  God.  If  they  could  arise 
from  their  graves  they  would  stand  in  wonder- 
ment at  the  change  that  has  been  effected  in 
their  cloister.  Instead  of  meek-eyed  monks  in 
modest  habit,  engaged  in  study,  prayer,  and 
contemplation,  they  would  see  groups  of  gaily- 
dressed  ladies  invading  these  holy  precincts, 
chatting  about  all  the  vanities  of  life,  hardly 


34  A    Visit  to  Europe 

dreaming  of  the  religious  life  once  lived  within 
these  walls.  Affrighted,  they  would  hasten 
back  to  the  enclosure  of  the  tomb  and  the 
silence  of  death.  All  the  kings  and  queens  of 
England,  from  Edward  the  Confessor  to  the 
present  time,  have  been  crowned  and  many  of 
them  buried  within  the  sacred  precincts  of 
Westminster.  The  chair  of  coronation  is  a  di- 
lapidated thing,  having  a  rough  stone  for  a 
seat.  This  stone  is  believed  by  many  to  be  the 
celebrated  stone  of  destiny  upon  which  the 
head  of  the  patriarch  Jacob  rested  when  he 
saw  the  vision  of  the  ladder  reaching  unto  hea- 
ven:  "  And  Jacob,  arising  in  the  morning,  took 
the  stone,  which  he  had  laid  under  his  head, 
and  set  it  up  for  a  title,  pouring  oil  upon 
the  top  of  it."  It  is  related  that  it  was  after- 
wards taken  by  Jacob  and  his  sons  into  Egypt, 
whence,  in  course  of  time,  it  was  carried  to 
Spain  and  afterwards  to  Ireland,  B.C.  700,  on 
which  the  ancient  kings  of  Tara  were  crown- 
ed. It  was  then  sent  to  Scotland,  where  it 
remained  for  centuries.  In  the  ninth  century 
it  was  placed  in  the  gilded  throne  of  the 
Royal  Abbey  of  Scone,  where  the  coronation  of 
the  Scottish  kings  took  place.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  thirteenth  century  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  Westminster  by  Edward  I.  of  the  Nor- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  35 

man  line.  The  tomb  of  St.  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor is  near  by,  and  is  the  most,  noteworthy 
of  any  in  the  Abbey.  We  wandered  out  around 
the  exterior  of  the  building,  and  in  a  short 
time  seemed  to  live  in  many  different  centu- 
ries, communing  with  the  many  generations  of 
priests  and  prelates,  statesmen  and  kings,  poets 
and  saints,  to  whom  Westminster  Abbey  and 
its  neighborhood  had  been  holy  ground,  within 
whose  contemplative  limits  inspired  thoughts 
have  been  born  and  quickened.  The  new  pal- 
ace of  Westminster,  which  comprises  the  two 
houses  of  Parliament,  stands  near  by,  and  is  an 
immense  structure,  covering  eleven  acres.  We 
walked  through  its  grounds  and  its  halls, 
which  are  accessible  to  the  public  without 
special  permission.  We  were  not  very  anxious 
to  enter  the  legislative  halls,  more  especially  as 
those  who  had  tickets  were  subjected  to  a  tire- 
some delay  in  waiting  for  their  turn./ 

We  now  separated,  and  each  one  strolled 
through  the  streets  according  to  his  inclina- 
tion. In  my  rambles  I  saw  many  familiar 
names  of  streets  and  public-houses,  some  of 
them  exceedingly  insignificant  in  their  appear- 
ance, but  rendered  famous  by  the  poets  and 
literary  men  who  at  different  times  frequent- 
ed London.  A  strange  feeling  steals  into  the 


36  A    Visit  to  Europe 

heart  of  the  Catholic  traveller  when  he  sees  on 
every  side  so  many  reminders  of  the  ancient 
faith  of  England.  Besides  many  streets  and  a 
vast  number  of  churches— once  Catholic,  now 
Protestant — that  bear  the  diversified  names  of 
saints  of  the  Roman  calendar,  there  still  re- 
main such  names  as  Whitefriars  Street  and 
Blackfriars  Bridge  and  Road,  Paternoster  Row, 
Ave  Maria  Lane,  and  others  similar.  / 

On  my  return  to  the  hotel,  although  I  rode 
in  an  omnibus  the  greater  part  of  the  distance, 
I  lost  my  way,  and  it  took  me  nearly  two  hours 
of  walking  and  inquiring  of  policemen  before  I 
found  it.  The  faculty  of  quickly  noting  the 
cardinal  points  seems  never  to  have  been  well 
developed  in  my  mind.  I  must  first  become 
quite  accustomed  to  my  surroundings  before 
different  directions  are  clear  to  me.  As  several 
of  my  relatives  and  ancestors  have  been  survey- 
ors, they  either  must  have  absorbed  this  facul- 
ty of  the  family  intellect,  or  else  have  too 
much  accustomed  it  to  instrumental  guidance. 
I  had  therefore  to  be  always  on  my  guard  in 
European  cities  to  mark  mentally  my  route, 
unless  accompanied  by  one  of  my  companions 
whose  sensitive  faculty  in  this  matter  was  the 
exact  reverse  of  mine.  | 

The  next  day  we  went  to  the  Brompton  church 


and  the  Holy  Land.  37 

of  the  Oratorians,  which  was  undergoing  the 
process  of  renovation  at  great  expense,  which 
was  making  it  exceedingly  fine.  Afterwards  we 
went  to  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  which 
contains  a  vast  number  of  curiosities  and  pro- 
ductions of  art.  On  our  return  trip  we  visited 
the  Natural  History  Museum  near  by ;  and,  al- 
though I  took  due  interest  in  its  great  animal 
and  other  skeletons,  what  pleased  me  most  was 
the  skilful  arrangement  of  stuffed  birds,  show- 
ing the  nests,  eggs,  and  habits  of  the  different 
species  in  the  British  Isles.  On  our  way  back 
to  Charing  Cross  we  rode  in  the  omnibus  with 
a  very  respectable,  aristocratic-looking  gentle- 
man, who,  seeing  that  we  were  strangers,  with 
great  politeness  and  kindness  pointed  out  to  us 
all  the  chief  places  of  interest  along  the  route, 
among  them  the  residences  of  some  of  the  chief 
noblemen  and  statesmen  of  England.  Each  day 
we  spent  some  considerable  time  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  different  views  and  street  scenes 
of  the  great  metropolis.  On  our  return  they 
seemed  less  strange  and  more  pleasing  to  us./ 

The  next  morning  we  left  the  station  at  Char- 
ing Cross  for  Paris  by  way  of  Dover  and  Calais. 
We  first  passed  through  several  miles  of  streets 
and  houses  out  into  the  smiling  country,  going 
through  Kent  from  one  extremity  of  the  county 


38  A    Visit  to  Europe 

to  the  other.  Our  journey  was  made  enjoyable 
by  a  succession  of  old-looking  towns,  often 
made  more  interesting  by  an  ancient,  pictur- 
esque church,  beautiful  farms  and  comfortable- 
looking  farm-houses,  and  rural  scenes  like  those 
which  had  greeted  our  eyes  on  our  first  introduc- 
tion to  England — scenes  which  we  found  to  be 
characteristic  of  the  country  wherever  we  went, 
except  in  certain  limited  portions.  Towards 
Dover  we  came  in  sight  of  the  chalk  cliffs 
which  line  the  coast,  between  which  we  caught 
occasional  glimpses  of  the  blue  sea./ 


CHAPTER  III. 

LA    BELLE    FRANCE. 

/AT  Dover  we  took  the  boat  for  Calais.  It 
was  a  bright,  still  day,  and  the  Strait  of  Dover 
was  as  calm  as  a  "  summer's  sea."  Nearly  all 
the  passengers  spoke  French  instead  of  Eng- 
lish, when  I  had  expected  the  reverse.  We 
approached  France  with  the  French  tongue 
sounding  in  our  ears,  with  French  breezes  cool- 
ing our  cheeks,  and  the  gayety  and  animation 
of  French  life  surrounding  us.  The  shores  of 


and  the  Holy  Land.  39 

Albion  receded  from  our  view  and  the  shores 
of  France  drew  nearer.  It  is  a  pleasurable  event 
in  one's  life  to  approach  for  the  first  time  a 
strange  and  interesting  country.  Gentle  but 
joyous  excitement  quickens  the  pulse  and  the 
tlow  of  life  through  the  heart.  Images  form  in 
the  mind  of  a  long  list  of  the  achievements  and 
glories  of  that  land  in  the  midst  of  historic 
and  poetic  scenes.  The  coast-line,  the  hills  and 
plains,  the  old  towns,  the  very  sea  and  sky 
seem  to  belong  to  the  realms  where  the  spirit 
of  dying  heroes  and  undying  deeds  continues 
to  dwell.  The  spirits  of  the  great  past  seem 
yet  to  live  in  the  places  to  which  they  gave 
renown,  and  to  pervade  the  very  air  with  their 
mysterious  presence.  / 

The  smiling  fields  of  bright,  beautiful  France 
lay  before  us,  which,  with  all  its  faults  and 
deep,  disgraceful  stains  which  blot  its  fair 
name,  still  retains  much  of  the  chivalry  and 
devotion  of  the  Catholic  ages  of  faith.  At  Ca- 
lais we  went  from  the  steamer  directly  to  the 
train  for  Paris.  The  language  of  France  was 
everywhere  heard,  and  the  ways  and  manners 
of  the  people,  including  the  railway  employees 
in  their  plain  blue  blouses,  were  distinctively 
French.  During  the  afternoon  we  passed  many 
famous  old  towns,  among  them  Amiens,  pos- 


40  A    Visit  to  Europe 

sessing,  in  the  judgment  of  many,  one  of  the 
most  perfect  Gothic  cathedrals  in  the  world. 
But  to  me  the  most  pleasing  part  of  the  ride 
was  through  the  country  districts.  The  high- 
ways which  we  frequently  crossed,  and  beside 
which"  we  sometimes  rode  for  miles,  were,  like 
those  of  nearly  all  Europe,  smooth  and  hard, 
running  between  hedges  and  trees  and  green 
fields  and  over  picturesque  stone  bridges.  The 
peasants  of  northern  France  appear  to  be  a 
hardy  and  industrious  race,  many  of  whom,  in 
their  plain,  simple  attire,  were  working  in  the 
fields  or  journeying  along  the  roads  to  and 
from  their  quaint  little  villages.  On  our  ar- 
rival in  Paris,  not  knowing  much  about  the 
hotels,  we  took  rooms  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  on 
the  Boulevard  des  Capucines.  We  found  it 
grander  than  we  really  desired  ;  yet  it  was  cen- 
tral and  convenient  to  the  famous  portions  of 
the  city.  I 

Street  life  in  Paris  is  animated  and  possessed 
of  numerous  attractions  ;  yet,  from  glimpses  of 
the  mode  and  character  of  thousands  of  the  in- 
habitants of  this  great  French  city,  I  ceased  to 
wonder  at  the  irreligious  policy  of  its  rulers 
and  scandalous  and  sacrilegious  acts  of  its  com- 
munistic and  revolutionary  mobs.  On  the  broad- 
er boulevards  the  evening  scenes  were  gay  and 


and  the  Holy  Land,  41 

bright.     The  tables  of  the  various  restaurants 
extended  out  on  the  broad  sidewalks,  and  sur- 
rounding them,    seated  in   the    open  air,    were 
hundreds   of    stylish  ladies  and  gentlemen   en- 
joying the  happy  sounds  arid  sights  and  polite 
and  easy  companionship  especially  characteris- 
tic of  the  streets  of   Paris  in  early  evening  in 
the  month  of  May.     The  great  majority  of  the 
French  people  are  polite,    and  I    believe    that 
their  politeness  comes  from  the  heart.     In  res- 
taurants and  bouillons    and  similar  places   we 
were  served  with  a  grace  that  possessed  a  genu- 
ine charm,   and  among  all  there   seemed   to  be 
a  real  regard  and   delicacy  for  the  feelings  of 
others,    except  with  those  where  the   spirit   of 
irreligion  has  penetrated.     These  last  mentioned 
may  yet  keep  on  the  mask  and  outward,  man- 
ners _pf  old- time  French  politeness,  but  it  does 
not  reach  the  heart  or  come  from  it,   and  their 
brutality  is  often  manifest.     With  the  French 
people,  unlike  some  other  nations,  religion  and 
gentle  manners  go  hand-in  hand.  \ 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  We  inquired  the 
way  to  the  Madeleine,  which  was  not  far  distant. 
It  is  the  grandest  and  most  perfect  reproduc- 
tion in  existence,  according  to  pure  antique 
forms,  of  the  ancient  Grecian  temple.  Between 
eight  and  half-past  nine  o'clock  we  attended 


42  A    Visit  to  Europe 

one  Mass  and  portions  of  two  others.  On  ac- 
count of  the  statements  of  some  travellers  with 
reference  to  the  attendance  of  Parisians  at  Sun- 
day Masses,  I  took  particular  notice  of  the  ex- 
act facts.  At  each  of  these  three  Masses  the 
church  was  emptied  and  again  filled,  and  I 
judged  that  fully  half  of  those  present  were 
men.  Some  eyes  cannot  see  truthfully,  or  else 
since  some  authors  wrote  Paris  has  very  much 
changed  in  this  respect  for  the  better.  After 
breakfast  we  wandered  through  the  streets  to 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  which  has  witnessed 
so  many  strange  scenes.  Here  the  guillotine 
was  set  up  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  arid 
here  the  German  army  encamped  after  its  tri- 
umphal entry  in  1871.  We  wandered  through 
the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries,  and  afterwards 
through  the  Champs  Ely  sees  to  the  Arch  of 
Triumph,  begun  by  Napoleon  and  finished  by 
Louis  Philippe,  and  which  is  considered  the 
grandest  existing  structure  of  the  kind  in  the 
world.  The  people  on  the  streets  were  not 
quite  so  gay,  but  for  the  most  part  they  were 
of  a  more  retiring  and  respectable  class  than 
the  ostentatious  frequenters  of  public  places 
whom  we  saw  the  previous  evening.  1 

Sometimes  we  spent  an  hour  in  walking,  an- 
other hour  in  the  tram-cars,  and  another  hour 


and  the  Holy  Land.  43 

in  a  carriage.  In  this  way  we  passed  tb rough 
retired  and  quiet  streets,  through  streets  where 
the  great  body  of  the  people  live,  and  through 
grand,  broad  boulevards.  We  also  saw  many 
of  the  vast  public  buildings  of  Paris ;  and 
when  the  day  was  over  we  had  become  settled 
in  the  conclusion,  which  we  had  partly  formed 
on  our  first  entrance  to  the  city,  that  it  is  by 
far  the  most  magnificent  city  of  Europe  and 
the  world.  We  arrived  at  the  cathedral  of 
Notre  Dame  at  near  sunset,  but  the  doors  were 
closed,  and  we  had  to  be  content  to  take  a 
good  view  of  its  exterior.  \ 

The  next  day  each  one  of  us  had  different  ob- 
jects of  interest  in  his  mind,  and  so  we  agreed 
to  separate.  As  for  myself,  when  we  entered 
Paris  I  desired  rather  to  see  the  Madeleine, 
Notre.  Dame,  and  La  Sainte  Chapelle  than  all 
the  other  buildings  of  the  city.  I  therefore 
took  the  route,  rather  indirect,  to  Notre  Dame. 
On  the  way  I  entered  an  ancient-looking  church, 
where  a  large  class  of  schoolboys  were  being 
prepared  for  First  Communion.  They  appeared 
very  attentive  and  devout.  The  interior  of  the 
church  was  old  and  venerable,  and  attractive  to 
devotion.  I  soon  after  arrived  at  Notre  Dame, 
the  church  which  I  would  prefer  to  all  others 
in  Paris.  The  present  noble  structure  was 


44  A    Visit  to  Europe 

founded  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  was  situ- 
ated on  the  "Isle  of  the  City,"  one  of  the  two 
islands  in  the  Seine  near  each  other,  around 
which,  as  the  ancient  nucleus,  Paris  was  built. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  detailed  descrip- 
tions of  the  churches  and  public  buildings 
visited  during  my  travels,  as  they  only  serve 
to  weary  the  reader,  and  can  be  found  more 
accurately  given  in  guide-books.  \ 

Like  the  other  great  cathedrals  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  Notre  Dame  is  an  immense  edifice, 
and  is  built  in  the  pointed  style  of  Gothic 
architecture,  possessing  those  rich  treasures  and 
decorations  which  were  lavished  by  the  hands 
of  monarchs,  and  those  enduring  qualities  and 
that  artistic  excellence  which  come  only  from 
the  mind  and  hand  of  genius.  When  I  en- 
tered the  church  the  canons  were  reciting  the 
Divine  Office.  The  divine  harmony  of  prayer 
sounding  through  the  sacred  edifice  and  re- 
echoed in  heaven,  united  with  the  ever-abiding 
presence  of  the  "Lamb  that  was  slain,"  made 
the  material  temple  seem  possessed  of  life  and 
soul.  Like  living  realities  the  historic  scenes 
of  centuries  passed  before  my  eyes.  Monarchs 
were  crowned  amid  grandest  solemnities,  and 
I  seemed  to  hear  outside  the  walls  the  voice 
of  cheering  multitudes ;  they  were  brought 


and  the  Holy  Land.  45 

back  uncrowned,  and  I  seemed  to  hear  the  slow 
footsteps  of  men  in  procession,  the  beat  of 
muffled  drum,  and  the  sad,  musical  dirge  of 
death,  and  within  the  intervals  the  lo\v  sobs 
and  sighs  of  weeping  mourners.  And  then  the 
scenes  were  changed  and  the  hell-fired  fiends 
of  revolution  raised  their  hoarse  shouts  of  blood 
and  lust,  and  desecrated  the  sacred  temple,  and 
even  the  altar  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Sacrament, 
and  a  harlot  was  worshipped  by  men  base 
enough  to  make  her — whose  life  exemplifies 
one  of  their  most  brutal  passions — their  typical 
god.  O  abomination  of  desolation  in  the  Holy 
of  Holies !  But  prayer  and  sacrifice  are  ever 
the  same,  and  Notre  Dame  is  still  their  con- 
secrated abode  ;  and,  as  in  days  gone  by,  she 
consoles  the  living  and  mourns  for  the  dead, 
but  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  In  the 
highest  aspirations  of  life  and  in  the  dread 
realities  of  eternity,  how  far  separated  are 
Notre  Dame  and  Westminster !  \ 

After  wandering  about  and  taking  a  brief 
and  reverential  view  of  everything,  and  saying 
a  few  prayers  and  mentally  joining  the  canons 
in  their  office,  I  returned  towards  the  entrance, 
where  a  woman  was  selling  wax-candles  to  be 
burned  before  a  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
I  bought  one,  which  she  lighted  and  gave  to 


46  A    Visit  to  Europe 

our  dear  Mother  as  a  votive- offering  for  me, 
while  I  knelt  and  prayed  that  she  might  obtain 
for  my  companions  and  myself  a  safe  journey 
and  safe  return  to  homes  unchanged  by  sick- 
ness or  death.  I  then  went  forth  again  into 
the  busy  streets  of  Paris,  but  they  seemed 
changed.  The  busy,  frivolous  world  appeared 
to  talk  in  a  subdued  tone,  and  to  have  put  on 
a  more  modest  demeanor.  It  was  the  influ- 
ence of  the  holy  Presence  which  I  had  just  left, 
and  in  some  sense  that  Presence  was  still  with 
me,  changing  the  appearance  of  men  and  the 
face  of  nature.  \ 

I  was  desirous  of  seeing  more  of  the  quiet 
life  of  the  people.  Back  of  the  cathedral  is  a 
park,  in  which,  raised  on  a  high  column,  is  a 
statue  of  Mary  Immaculate.  In  the  park,  which 
is  of  fair  size,  well  supplied  with  rustic  seats 
beneath  the  shade,  were  congregated  old  and 
middle-aged  men,  staid  and  comfortable-looking 
dames,  many  of  whom  brought  with  them  their 
knitting  or  sewing,  young  people  in  their  teens, 
and  pleasant,  playful  children,  whose  play- 
ground was  usually  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  their  mothers.  I  sat  a  long  time  on  a  bench 
in  the  shade  of  one  of  the  trees,  enjoying  the 
most  peaceful  and  pleasant  scene  of  quiet  hap- 
piness that  I  saw  during  my  stay  in  Paris.  It 


and  the  Holy  Land.  47 

was  all  the  more  attractive  because  it  was  almost 
in  the  shadow  of  that  great  church  wliere  proba- 
bly most  of  those  present  attended  their  week- 
day Masses  and  offered  their  daily  devotions.  \ 

Not  far  distant  was  La  Sainte  Chapelle,  which 
is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  complete  gems 
of  Gothic  architecture  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury. It  was  built  by  St.  Louis  of  France  to 
receive  the  crown  of  tliorns,  which  was  de- 
posited in  it,  together  with  a  portion  of  the 
true  cross,  the  iron  point  of  the  lance  which 
opened  our  Saviour's  side,  and  part  of  the 
sponge  which  bore  vinegar  and  gall  to  His  dy- 
ing lips.  A  portion  of  these  relics  are  still  in 
Notre  Dame,  and  a  part  of  the  crown  of  thorns 
is  exposed  to  the  veneration  of  the  faithful  on 
Good  Friday.  I  obtained  permission  to  enter, 
and  was  conducted  through  the  chapel  by  one 
of  the  custodians.  Notwithstanding  the  beauty 
of  its  architecture,  it  looked  to  me  desolate, 
for  Mass  is  but  rarely  celebrated  at  its  altars. 
If  St.  Louis  were  now  to  visit  his  royal  chapel, 
or  even  his  royal  city,  he  would  find  many 
changes  to  bring  grief  to  his  soul.  Towards 
evening  we  had  all  returned  .from  our  wander- 
ings, and  had  to  hurry  to  get  ready  to  take  the 
train  for  Marseilles,  which  started  about  an 
hour  before  dark.x 


48  A    Visit  to  Europe 

We  had  hardly  passed  through  the  environs 
of  Paris  before  the  shadows  of  evening  began 
to  dim  the  landscape,  and  things  seen  might 
as  well  have  been  conjured  up  in  day-dreams, 
so  indistinct  were  they  and  full  of  romance. 
We  had  taken  a  first-class  carriage,  and,  as 
the  only  other  occupants  of  the  compartment 
were  a  French  gentleman  and  his  lady,  we 
passed  the  night  in  comparative  comfort.  | 

On  European  railways  one  is  inclined  to 
awaken  early;  but  all  the  better,  for  by  so 
doing  I  enjoyed  a  number  of  beautiful  Euro- 
pean sunrises  and  mornings,  where  country, 
hamlets  and  towns,  winding  streams,  extended 
plains,  and  gray  old  mountains  renewed  their 
gladness  and  vigor  in  the  light  and  life  of  a 
new-born  day.  During  the  night  we  had  passed 
through  several  important  cities — among  them 
Lyons — and  the  morning  found  us  speeding 
down  the  valley  of  the  Rhone,  of  which  we 
often  caught  glimpses.  Low  mountain  ranges, 
at  some  distance  away,  lined  the  valley  on 
either  side.  As  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the 
sources  of  the  Rhone  and  Rhine  are  near  to- 
gether ;  and  white,  after  many  windings,  one 
flows  to  the  south  and  the  other  to  the  north  of 
Europe,  a  certain  similarity  accompanies  them. 
Both  flow  through  regions  having  some  of  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  49 


finest  vineyards  in  the  world,  and  the  rugged 
banks  of  both  are  crowned  with  grand  old  cas- 
tles and  historic  cities.  Although  in  portions 
of  the  valley  of  the  Rhone  the  rainfall  is 
abundant,  the  country  through  which  we  passed 
during  the  forenoon  appeared  to  be  somewhat 
arid,  and  the  goddess  of  perpetual  summer 
seemed  to  rule ;  but  it  is  a  land  rich  in  fruits 
and  wine.\ 

Early  in  the  day  we  had  entered  the  boun- 
daries of  ancient  Provence,  which  is  the  land 
where  sunshine  ever  loves  to  dwell,  and  leav- 
ing which  it  is  homesick  and  quickly  returns. 
No  wonder  that  it  is  the  region  of  romance 
and  of  the  troubadours.  We  passed  through 
strange-looking  towns,  where  we  could  look 
down  old-fashioned  streets  and  into  quaint  old 
stone  houses  surrounded  by  flower-gardens  and 
orchards  and  overhung  with  trellised  vines. 
At  length,  not  far  distant  to  the  right,  on  the 
majestic  heights  that  overlook  the  river,  rose 
the  lofty  towers,  battlements,  and  spires  of 
Avignon,  the  residence  of  seven  popes  for  more 
than  half  a  century.  Those  vast  piles  of  build- 
ings, rising  in  stately  grandeur  and  distinguished 
above  the  others,  are  the  cathedral  and  palace 
of  the  pontiffs  who  once  ruled  here  and  made 
Avignon  a  second  Rome.  In  a  cave  in  the  great 


50  A    Visit  to  Europe 

rock  on  which,  the  cathedral  is  built  once  lived 
St.  Martha  of  Bethany,  where  she  had  come 
after  the  ascension  of  our  Saviour  into  heaven ; 
and  St.  Rufus,  son  of  Simon  the  Cyrenean,  who 
carried  the  cross  for  our  Lord,  was  first  bishop 
of  the  city.  O  Avignon !  thou  hast  for  a  brief 
period  worn  the  imperial  robes  of  Rome,  the 
mistress  of  the  earth ;  and  such  has  been  the 
efficacy  of  their  virtue  that,  like  her,  thou  hast 
become  immortal.  A  brief  half  hour  was  all 
we  saw  of  Avignon,  but  the  city  of  St.  Martha 
and  St.  Rufus,  the  city  of  the  popes  and  the 
city  of  bells,  the  city  of  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  rising  grandly  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhone  and  reflecting  the  warm,  bright  sun  of 
Provence,  will  remain  an  ineffaceable  picture  in 
our  memories. \ 

Within  less  than  an  hour  after  quitting 
Avignon  we  left  the  Rhone  behind  us  at  the 
ancient  •  city  of  Aries,  twenty-five  miles  from 
"its  mouth.  Having  skirted  the  shores  of  the 
inland  lake  of  Berre,  and  having  passed  tlirongh 
the  longest  tunnel  in  France,  we  soon  came 
into  a  region  of  high,  barren,  rocky  peaks.  Oc- 
casionally, far  above  us  on  rocky  heights,  ap- 
peared some  old  castle  or  monastery,  once  the 
stronghold  of  family  pride  or  power,  or  of  faith 
and  devotion.  Finally  the  blue  Mediterranean 


and  the  Holy  Land. 


appeared,  on  which  our  eyes  rested  with  a 
strange,  quiet,  fascinating  pleasured  It  is  no 
wonder  ;  for  it  is  the  great  sea  on  whose  bor- 
ders have  existed  and  still  exist  most  of  the 
historic  nations  of  the  earth.  Its  waters  have 
washed  the  shores  of  ancient  kingdoms  and 
empires  until  the  proud  monuments  and  cities 
of  their  glory  have  crumbled  into  dust.  Car- 
thaginian, Grecian,  and  Roman  galleys,  bearing 
the  armies  of  hostile  nations  to  death  or  vic- 
tory, have  danced  lightly  upon  its  glistening 
waves,  and  on  its  wide  waters  have  contended 
with  wild  storms  and  fierce  foes.  The  nations 
on  its  shores  were  the  first  in  the  history  of  the 
human  race,  and  one  succeeded  another  on  the 
grand  historic  stage  of  Western  Asia.  Its  bright 
waters  have  reflected  the  majesty  and  glory  of 
Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome,  the  grandest  nations 
of  the  pagan  world ;  and  their  sons  most  gift- 
ed by  genius,  and  even  the  psalmists  and  pro- 
phets whom  God  himself  inspired,  have  sung' 
its  praises.  In  our  own  modern  history  some 
of  the  foremost  nations  of  the  epoch  hold  the 
prond  pre-eminence  of  a  place  on  its  historic 
shores,  and  all  of  them  lay  claim  to  its  vantage- 
grounds  and  strongholds,  and  uphold  their 
position  and  influence  by  fleets  of  iron  mon- 
sters that  thunder  their  warning  or  their  chal- 


52  A    Visit  to  Europe 


lenge  and  hurl  their  missiles  of  death  and  de- 
struction over  its  calm  surface.  This  beautiful 
blue  sea,  upon  whose  peaceful  bosom  I  seem 
to  see  the  white-winged  carriers  of  the  heroes 
and  saints  of  centuries  sailing  before  the  favor- 
ed breezes  of  heaven,  is  to  me  utterly  unlike 
the  vast,  black,  dread  ocean  with  its  dark,  un- 
fathomed  caverns,  where  dwell  its  horrid,  un- 
known monsters.  In  the  following  weeks  we 
were  to  see  much  more  of  this  great  sea  which 
we  now  viewed  for  the  first  time.  We  never 
grew  weary  of  it,  but,  leaving  it  for  a  time, 
we  longed  to  rest  our  eyes  once  again  on  its 
blue,  watery  expanse — on  the  one  side  melting 
into  the  azure  sky,  and  on  the  other  lined  by 
its  gray  and  green  and  purple  shores.\ 

Before  noon  we  were  in  Marseilles.  It  is 
the  chief  seaport  of  France,  and  was  founded 
by  the  Greeks  six  hundred  years  B.C.  After 
taking  our  dinner  at  a  restaurant  we  hired  a 
carriage  to  convey  us  to  the  principal  places 
of  interest  in  the  city.  We  cannot  claim  to 
have  made  a  very  thorough  inspection  of  Mar- 
seilles in  the  three  hours'  visit  that  we  made, 
but  we  saw  all  that  could  be  seen  in  that 
length  of  time.  Now,  after  more  than  two 
years,  only  four  things  have  left  an  impres- 
sion on  my  memory :  the  cathedral,  the  tram- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  53 

ways,  the  harbor,  and  the  cosmopolitan  ap- 
pearance of  the  people  thronging  the  docks. 
How  different  is  busy  Marseilles  from  peaceful 
Bethany ;  yet  here  Lazarus,  Mary,  and  Martha 
landed,  and  in  Provence  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  days;  and  St.  Lazarus  was  the  first 
bishop  of  the  city.  Often  did  the  contempla- 
tive Mary,  from  the  high  cliffs  where  she  spent 
her  solitary  life,  look  out  over  the  sea  to  the 
distant  land  where  she  had  loved  her  Lord  so 
faithfully.  We  visited  the  new  cathedral  which 
was  being  built,  and  which  was  not  only  under 
roof,  but  nmch  substantial  ornamentation  al- 
ready adorned  it.  When  finished  it  will  be 
one  of  the  finest  modern  churches  of  Europe. 
The  docks  and  shipping  afford  a  pleasant  sight 
to  those  who  can  endure  their  dirt  and  smell; 
but  they  are  not  much  different  in  these  and 
other  respects  from  those  of  New  York  and 
Liverpool,  except  that  the  port  of  Marseilles 
has  more  intimate  connections  with  the  Levant, 
and  oriental  costumes  were  frequently  seen. 
Two  Eastern  gentlemen  in  their  peculiar  dress, 
wearing  crooked  swords  at  their  sides,  accom- 
panied us  some  distance  on  the  train.  In  our 
inexperience  we  took  them  for  Turks,  although 
afterwards  we  could  anywhere  readily  recognize 
them  as  Greeks, \ 


54  A    Visit  to  Europe 

We  saw  many  pleasant  streets  in  Marseilles, 
notwithstanding  the  general  business  character 
of  the  town ;  but  what  struck  us  as  peculiar 
was  that  several  street  or  tramway  cars  were 
passing  along  smooth  streets  without  any  spe- 
cial track  on  which  to  run,  and  turning  here 
and  there  at  their  convenience.  The  white  cor- 
net and  gray  dress  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity, 
which  I  saw  on  the  streets  here  as  in  other 
French  cities,  as  well  as  in  some  towns  of  the 
East,  reminded  me  of  home — where  I  attend 
St.  Vincent's  Asylum — and  gave  me  a  slight 
twinge  of  homesickness. \ 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  the  train 
for  Genoa.  It  runs  along  the  southern  coast 
of  France  and  northern  coast  of  Italy,  and 
passes  through  some  of  the  most  romantic 
scenery  of  the  world:  Especially  from  Nice  to 
Genoa  we  enjoyed  beautiful  and  magnificent 
views  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  grand  and 
sublime  views  of  mountain-heights  approaching 
to  the  very  waters  of  the  sea,  all  uniting  in 
one  glorious  panorama  of  nature.  After  riding 
more  than  an  hour  we  passed  through  Toulon, 
one  of  the  great  war-harbors  of  France,  and 
formidable-looking  with  the  many  forts  sur- 
rounding it  and  its  great  war-ships  at  anchor. 
Little  did  we  think  that  in  five  weeks'  time 


and  the  Holy  Land.  55 

these  two  cities — Marseilles  and  Toulon — would 
be  smitten  by  the  terrible  scourge  'of  cholera. 
Little  did  they  then  suspect  the  near  approach 
of  the  destroying  angel.  With  outstretched 
wings,  that  cast  their  shadows  on  the  earth,  he 
even  now  hovered  over  them.  Before  reaching 
Nice  we  passed  through  several  fine  towns  sur- 
rounded by  pleasant  villas  ;  for  not  only  Nice 
and  vicinity  but  the  cities  and  country  on 
either  side  are  the  winter  resorts  of  a  large 
number  of  people  of  more  northern  and  rig- 
orous Europe.  \ 

We  passed  the  night  at  Nice,  but  early  the 
following  forenoon  we  resumed  our  journey. 
This  day  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  of  our 
entire  European  travels.  Nothing  more  in  na- 
ture or  in  outward  evidences  of  religion  could 
be  desired.  We  passed  through  interesting 
cities,  each  one  possessing  such  striking  fea- 
tures of  beauty  and  grandeur  that  all  the 
others  would  be  forgotten.  On  the  one  hand 
great,  rocky  heights  overlooked  the  sea,  which, 
on  the  other  hand,  reflected  all  the  beauties  of 
the  sky,  now  Colored  with  its  azure  blue,  now 
bathed  in  its  golden  light.  And  in  the  midst 
of  numerous  groves  of  lemon,  orange,  cypress, 
myrtle,  oleander,  olive,  and  palm-trees  appear- 
ed .  lovely  villas  and  pure  white  churches  with 


56  A    Visit  to  Europe 

their  shining  crosses.  Beautiful  flowers  and 
flowering  vines  were  almost  everywhere,  and 
among  them  quite  remarkable,  wide  spreading 
vines  of  purple  flowers,  and  climbing  roses  fre- 
quently covered  the  entire  sides  of  houses.  V 


CHAPTER  IV. 

NORTHERN   ITALY   AND    ROME. 

\  WE  passed  over  the  border  into  sunny  Italy. 
In  Italy  the  scenes  gradually  changed.  We 
entered  the  region  called  the  Riviera,  the  an- 
cient Liguria.  Small  villages  and  towns  were 
nearer  together— in  fact,  we  seemed  hardly  to 
lose  sight  of  one  before  another  came  in  view ; 
and  the  number  of  convents  and  churches  sur- 
passed anything  that  I  ever  saw  before  or  expect 
to  see  outside  of  cities.  Every  village  possessed 
several,  and  the  hillsides  and  valleys  between 
were  dotted  over  with  them.  The  crosses  on 
one  or  the  other  were  continually  in  sight. 
Rustic  wayside  shrines  frequently  met  our  eyes 
to  remind  us,  if  we  needed  it,  that  we  were 
in  a  land  wrhere  Mary  and  the  Crucified  dwell 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  Nearly  all  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  57 

convents  and  churches  were  picturesque  in  ap- 
pearance and  venerable  in  age,  and -many  occu- 
pied sites  which  nature  seemed  to  have  cre- 
ated for  them,  so  skilfully  were  they  selected. 
At  nearly  every  station  we  saw  one  or  more 
of  the  clergy  in  clerical  habit— cassock,  hat, 
and  ferraiolo.  At  one  place  a  bishop  with 
nearly  a  dozen  priests  came  on  the  train.  The 
church  seemed  to  be  entirely  at  home  in  this 
region.  I 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  arrived 
in  Genoa.0  As  our  train  left  for  Rome  at  mid- 
night we  did  not  go  to  a  hotel,  but  immedi- 
ately hired  a  carriage  to  drive  until  dark 
through  different  parts  of  the  city.  We  did 
not  yet  possess  the  faculty,  which  we  after- 
wards acquired,  of  seeing  a  town  to  advantage 
in  a_  few  hours.  Perhaps  it  was  well ;  for, 
while  we  did  not  enter  even  the  churches,  ex- 
cept one  or  two,  we  obtained  a  number  of  fine 
natural  views,  and  saw  Genoa  the  Superb  as  if 
exhibited  to  us  in  panoramic  pictures,  although 
the  forms  and  figures  were  living  and  the  scenes 
realities  fashioned  by  the  hand  of  the  great 
Artist.  On  the  streets  we  saw  the  people, 
young  and  old,  rich  and  poor — a  new  revela- 
tion to  us  of  another  species  of  national  charac- 
ter and  customs.  Picturesque  Italy  thronged 


58  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  streets  and  enlivened  life.  Genoa  is  noted 
for  its  palaces,  and  in  some  streets  palaces 
and  palace-like  buildings  came  in  quick  succes- 
sion. The  city  was  founded  before  Rome,  it  is 
said,  by  "Janus,  grandson  of  Noe,"  and  has 
always  been  the  seaport  centre  of  a  large  com- 
mercial trade.  In  the  middle  ages  it  was  one 
of  the  great  Italian  republics,  like  Pisa  and 
Venice,  and  extended  its  possessions  both  in 
the  Occident  and  Orient.  Daring  my  travels  I 
could  not  help  feel  considerable  pride  in  these 
ancient  republics,  as  well  as  in  the  mere  modern 
republic  of  Switzerland,  which  were  brought 
into  being  by  Catholic  peoples,  and  which,  by 
their  brave,  industrious,  and  independent  spirit, 
became  prosperous  and  renowned.  In  the  strict 
sense  of  the  word,  I  am  neither  a  republican  nor 
a  monarchist.  It  is  quite  probable  that  one  or 
other  of  these  forms  of  government  is  more  con- 
genial to  the  habits  and  character  of  different 
nationalities  ;  but  the  fact  that  I  was  born  and 
reared  under  the  flag  of  a  republic  adds  a  new 
interest  with  me  to  the  great  republics  of  the 
past.  A  constitutional  monarchy  is,  without 
doubt,  a  very  attractive  form  of  government. 
It  not  only  gives  a  voice  to  the  popular  will, 
but  it  serves  as  a  check  to  sudden  changes 
and  fanaticisms,  and  it  rewards  those  who  de- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  59 

serve  well  of  their  country  by  reason  of  marked 
patriotism  or  genius  in  a  manner"  that  repub- 
lics are  incapable  of  doing :  by  granting  to  them 
and  those  of  their  blood  an  inheritance  of  title 
and  position  that  will  be  permanent  in  their 
country's  roll  of  honor.  And  however  much 
we  may  admire  our  own  country's  youthful  life 
and  vigor,  its  condition  does  not  appear  to  us 
entirely  satisfactory.  .But  it  would  be  hardly 
just  to  judge  our  government  by  itself,  and 
from  its  brief  existence,  without  considering 
what  the  old-time  republics  were  able  to  ac- 
complish. If  there  is  anything  that  a  country 
needs,  it  is  respect  for  home  and  family.  And 
without  doubt  it  conduces  to  a  people's  welfare 
that  virtuous  and  respectable  families  shall  be 
built  up  that  in  time  can  trace  an  unsullied 
and  honorable  lineage  back  through  the  cen- 
turies, and  which  will  have  a  standing  and  in- 
fluence in  communities  according  to  their  merits. 
The  history  of  the  old  republics  proves  that  this 
was  possible  under  their  systems  of  government ; 
and  if  in  our  country  the  family  does  not  occupy 
the  place  that  it  should,  the  educational  and 
moral  principles  of  the  people  are  at  fault,  and 
not  the  form  of  government.\ 

We  took  the  midnight  train  for  Rome.     The 
early  morning  found  us  leaving  Pisa  and  Pisa's 


6o  A    Visit  to  Europe 

wonderful  leaning  tower  behind,  and  speeding 
over  the  Maremme,  an  unhealthy  expanse  of 
forest,  swamp,  and  pasture-land  that  extends  a 
good  portion  of  the  way  to  Rome.  The  railway 
coincides  with  the  ancient  Aurelian  Way  .built 
109  B.C.  Frequent  herds  of  large,  fine  white 
cows  with  long  horns  served  to  bring  to  our 
minds  the  fact  that  we  had  entered  the  land  of 
the  Latin  classic  poets,  which  yet  retains  many 
striking  reminders  of  their  times.  Farther  on 
we  saw  numerous  herds  of  a  more  mixed  breed 
of  cattle,  and  between  Civita  Vecchia  and  Rome, 
mingled  with  the  others,  great  mouse- colored 
oxen.  Civita  Vecchia,  the  seaport  of  Rome, 
was  finally  reached.  We  then  passed  down  the 
sea  coast,  getting  a  pleasant  view  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  when  its  bright  waves  had  dis- 
appeared we  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  yellow 
waters  of  "Father  Tiber,"  about  which  we  had 
read  so  much  in  our  school- boy  days./ 

At  length  we  neared  Rome,  the  Eternal  City  of 
the  Caesars  and  the  Popes.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  describe  my  thoughts  and  feelings  as  I  was 
about  to  realize  the  longings  of  a  lifetime.  We 
were  now  passing  over  the  famous  Campagna, 
while  in  the  distance,  the  former  to  the  right 
and  the  latter  to  the  left,  were  the  Alban  and 
the  Sabine  hills,  which  I  had  so  often  imagined 


and  the  Holy  Land.  61 

in  my  day-dreams  to  be  before  my  eyes ;  and 
Rome,  seated  on  her  seven  hills,  appeared  before 
us,  with  her  churches  and  her  palaces,  her  walls 
and  her  ruins,  the  city  of  St.  Peter.  It  is  un- 
like any  other  city  in  the  world  ;  but,  after  all, 
is  this  Rome?  A  spirit  of  disappointment 
hovered  over  me,  although  it  did  not  fully 
enter  my  breast.  But  when  I  knew  the  city 
better  it  seemed  changed,  and  now  no  city  on 
earth  could  fill  my  life  so  full  of  grand  realiza- 
tions of  my  ideal  as  Rome,  except  a  few  of 
the  sacred  towns  and  cities  of  the  Holy  Land  ; 
and  in  many  respects  we  know  that  even  the 
Holy  City,  Jerusalem,  is  far  inferior  to  the 
Eternal  City,  Rome.  For  centuries  Jerusalem 
has  been  under  Moslem  control,  while  Rome  has 
been  under  Christian  rulers.  The  train  passed 
over  the  Tiber  and  skirted  for  some  distance 
the  ancient  walls,  built  more  than  sixteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  crossed  the  celebrated  Appian 
Way,  passed  through  the  city  walls,  and  we 
were  in  Rome. 

Having  arrived  at  the  station,  we  entered  the 
omnibus  of  the  Hotel  Minerva,  where  we  took 
rooms.  It  is  situated  in  that  part  of  Rome 
which  was  the  ancient  Campus  Martius,  and 
opposite  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Minerva,  oc- 
cupied by  the  Church  of  the  Minerva,  dedicated 


62  A    Visit  to  Europe 

to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It  is  also  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  Pantheon.  As  the  warm- 
er season  of  summer  was  near  at  hand,  we  de- 
termined at  this  time  to  remain  in  Eome  only 
two  days  and  hasten  on  towards  the  East,  re- 
serving the  principal  Roman  visit  for  our  re- 
turn. We  arrived  in  Rome  about  noon,  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  was  one  of  my  home- 
sick days  ;  but  on  our  return  Rome  was  the 
place  where  I  always  -felt  least  a  heaviness  of 
spirits. 

The  sun  shone  brightly,  but  its  rays  did  riot 
penetrate  my  heart.  Home,  and  home  only, 
dwelt  there.  I  hope  that  but  few  know  what 
it  really  is  to  be  homesick.  You  feel  a  weight 
on  and  in  the  heart  that  would  seem  to  rend 
it  from  its  place  and  tear  it  asunder,  and  you 
can  hardly  tell  whether  you  are  going  to  live 
or  die.  God  help  exiled  and  homesick  hearts ! 
Later  in  the  day  we  took  a  carriage,  and,  hav- 
ing first  driven  to  the  bank  in  the  Piazza  di 
Spagna,  on  which  we  had  letters  of  credit,  and 
to  the  post-office,  we  visited  some  of  the  princi- 
pal churches.  \ 

As  one  approaches  Rome,  although  it  may 
not  be  for  the  first  time,  the  first  object  he  will 
endeavor  to  behold  is  St.  Peter's  and  St.  Peter's 
dome,  the  marvellous  productions  of  the  genius 


and  the  Holy  Land.  63 

Angelo.  To  write  the  name  of  Mi- 
chael recalls  to  our  minds  ojne  of  the 
great  master-intellects  of  the  world.  His  ge- 
nius nfined  to  one  particular  line,  but 
in  paii  ulpture,  and  in  architecture; 
his  works  are  among  the  highest  masterpieces. 
St.  Peter's  wonderful  dome,  the  admirable 
"Pieta"  in  St.  Peter's,  the  grand  and  severe 
"  Moses"  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter  ad  Vincula, 
and  the  "Last  Judgment"  in  the  Sistine  Chape], 
stand  among  the  grandest  works  of  Christian 
genius.  We  turned  first  towar< 
alone  to  admire  the  v 


rst  sight 

either  of  the  exterior  or  interior  of  St.  Pe; 
it  hardly  comes  up  to  one's  expectations ;  but 
it  grows  on   you   by  repeated  visits.     At  each 
visit  new    beauties  and    new    grandeur  sp- 
into  being,  and  finally,  when  one  gets  a  con, 
tion  of  what  the  church  really  is,  the  soul  ex- 
pands with  wonder  and  admiration.     We  now 

the  joyous  privilege  of  kneeling  1 
that  wondrous  dome  and  before  the  torn*- 
holy  apostles.  As  afterwards  we  i  ^ 


dKbivign^- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  63 

of  Michael  Angelo.  To  write  the  name  of  Mi- 
chael Angelo  recalls  to  our  mindi  one  of  the 
great  master-intellects  of  the  world.  His  ge- 
nius was  not  confined  to  one  particular  line,  but 
in  painting,  in  sculpture,  and  in  architecture 
his  works  are  among  the  highest  masterpieces. 
St.  Peter's  wonderful  dome,  the  admirable 
"Pieta"  in  St.  Peter's,  the  grand  and  severe 
"  Moses"  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter  ad  Vincula, 
and  the  "Last  Judgment"  in  the  Sistine  Chapel, 
stand  among  the  grandest  works  of  Christian 
genius.  We  turned  first  towards  St.  Peter's, 
not  alone  to  admire  the  wonders  of  the  edifice, 
but  to  pray  at  the  tomb  of  the  holy  apostles 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  over  which  this  church 
was  raised  by  the  Christian  world  as  an  endur- 
ing monument./ 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  at  first  sight 
either  of  the  exterior  or  interior  of  St.  Peter's 
it  hardly  comes  up  to  one's  expectations;  but 
it  grows  on  you  by  repeated  visits.  At  each 
visit  new  beauties  and  new  grandeur  spring 
into  being,  and  finally,  when  one  gets  a  concep- 
tion of  what  the  church  really  is,  the  soul  ex- 
pands with  wonder  and  admiration.  We  now 
had  the  joyous  privilege  of  kneeling  beneath 
that  wondrous  dome  and  before  the  tomb  of  the 
holy  apostles.  As  afterwards  we  made  more  ex- 


64  A    Visit  to  Europe 


tended  and  systematic  visits  to  this  cathedral 
of  the  world,  our  iirst  observations,  except  those 
already  given,  are  hardly  worthy  of  record. 
During  this  and  the  following  day  we  made 
visits  to  the  churches  of  St.  John  Lateran,  the 
Minerva,  the  Pantheon,  and  several  others,  on 
our  way  passing  the  ancient  church  of  St. 
Clement  and  the  mighty  Coliseum.  Inasmuch 
as  on  our  return  we  visited  all  these  with  more 
care  and  attention,  anything  I  may  have  to 
write  about  them  will  be  deferred  until  the  ac- 
count of  our  second  visitA 

Near  the  church  of  St.  John  Lateran  are  the 
Scala  Santa,  or  Holy  Stairs,  taken  from  the 
palace  of  Pilate  in  Jerusalem,  consecrated  by 
the  sacred  feet  and  sprinkled  with  the  Precious 
Blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  stains  of  His  blood 
are  even  now  seen  beneath  the  covering  of  glass, 
fastened  to  the  stairs,  which  the  pious  kiss. 
We  went  up  these  stairs  on  our  knees,  praying 
as  we  went ;  and  the  tears  flowed  from  my  eyes 
as  I  remembered  our  Saviour's  sorrows,  that 
calmed  my  heart,  troubled  by  homesickness, 
which  almost  entirely  left  it.  \ 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  fol- 
lowing day  we  were  at  the  railway  station  to 
take  the  train  for  Naples.  In  a  little  while 
after  we  were  speeding  over  the  Campagna,  past 


and  the  Holy  Land.  65 


Frascati  and  Albano,  and  past  Castel  Gandolfo, 
the  pope's  former  country  residence,  with  the 
Sabine  and  Alban  hills  in  view,  and  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  the  Yolscian  Mountains.  The 
scenery  for  a  good  portion  of  the  journey,  until 
the  darkness  of  night  settled  down,  was  really 
fine.  We  passed  down  through  what  appeared 
to  be  a  succession  of  beautiful  valleys  with 
mountain  ranges  on  either  side.  At  first  the 
valleys  were  wide  and  expanding,  and  we  pass- 
ed through  country  scenes  where  picturesque- 
looking  peasants,  retaining  much  of  the  old- 
style  dress  of  Italy,  journeyed  over  their  splen- 
did but  countrified-appearing  roads.  As  we 
advanced  the  mountains  drew  nearer  together 
until  they  fairly  looked  down  upon  us,  and  the 
valleys  grew  proportionately  more  beautiful. 
Dead  and  seemingly  fossilized  old  cities  stood 
on  mountain -sides,  and  we  wondered  whether 
they  were  inhabited  by  bats  and  owls  or  by 
human  beings.  Others  appeared  differently  and 
gave  no  room  for  such  doubts.  Towards  even- 
ing we  passed  Aquino,  the  birthplace  of  St. 
Thomas  of  Aquin ;  and  when  the  dimness  of 
evening  began  to  obscure  all  things,  we  saw, 
resting  grandly  on  an  eminence  of  the  mountain, 
the  great  monastery  of  Monte  Casino.  We  ob- 
tained a  much  better  view  of  it  on  our  return, 


66  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  intended  stopping  over  to  see  its  sacred 
precincts  and  numerous  treasures,  but  were  un- 
able to  do  so  for  want  of  time.  Taken  all  in  all, 
it  is  the  most  remarkable  monastery  in  the 
world.  In  some  respects  others  may  surpass  it, 
like  that  which  stands  on  Carmel's  heights  over- 
looking Galilee  and  the  Mediterranean.  But, 
with  due  respect  and  reverence  for  all  other  re- 
ligious orders,  none"  of  them  stand  side  by  side 
in  the  fore  rank  with  the  Order  of  St.  Benedict ; 
for,  under  God  and  the  Holy  See,  it  has  been 
one  of  the  greatest  influences  in  the  civilization 
and  Christianization  of  Europe.  Monte  Casino 
was  the  mother-house  of  the  Benedictines,  and 
the  religious  home  of  St.  Benedict  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  years  ago  ;  „  and  from  its 
foundation  until  now  it  has  always  been  a  great 
monastery.  \ 


CHAPTER  V. 

SOUTHEEN  ITALY   AND   THE   VOYAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

NEAR  midnight  we  arrived  in  Naples.  Al- 
though the  hotel  which  we  chose  was  first-class, 
we  did  not  take  a  fancy  to  it,  and  on  our  re- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  67 

turn  trip  we  selected  the  Hotel  de  Rome,  next 
to  the  parish  church  of  St.  Lucy,  Hvhich  was 
found  in  every  way  satisfactory.  The  next 
morning,  after  wandering  awhile  through  the 
streets  to  observe  the  people,  we  hired  a  car- 
riage to  drive  to  some  of  the  principal  places  of 
interest.  The  visit  on  our  return  from  the  East 
was  more  pleasant  and  was  made  with  a  better 
acquaintance  with  the  city,  but  the  order  of 
narrative  will  require  a  brief  description  of  our 
present  sight  seeing.  On  this  occasion  we  first 
went  to  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Januarius. 
This  saint  is  patron  of  the  city,  which,  it  is 
claimed,  was  his  native  place,  to  which  his  re- 
lics were  undoubtedly  transferred.  His  head 
and  body,  and  vials  containing  his  blood,  which 
liquefies  on  being  brought  near  the  relics  of  his 
head,  ^all  rest  in  this  church.  We  were  shown 
the  casket  containing  his  body,  a  relic-case 
containing  his  finger,  and  a  fac -simile  of  the 
vial  of  blood  when  liquefied.  The  church  con- 
tains the  tombs  of  noted  princes  and  ecclesias- 
tics, and  the  old  chapel  of  St.  Restituta,  at- 
tributed to  Con stan tine.  We  also  entered  a 
beautiful  church  across  the  street  where  the 
exposition  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  taking 
place.  \ 
We  afterwards  visited  several  other  churches, 


68  A    Visit  to  Europe 

among  them  the  line  church  of  St.  Francis  de 
Paulo,  and  then  the  royal  palace.  As  we 
strolled  through  its  grand  rooms  and  gorgeous 
apartments,  and  viewed  the  beauties  of  the 
bay  and  its  surroundings  from  the  garden-like 
balconies,  and  saw  the  empty  royal  throne, 
the  vanity  of  earthly  power  and  glory  was 
brought  forcibly  to  our  minds.  They  for  whom 
it  was  built,  and  who  once  dwelt  here  and  en- 
joyed its  regal  pleasures  and  splendors,  were 
either  lying  in  narrow  coffins  or  passing  the 
few  remaining  years  of  their  life  in  exile./ 

We  went  to  the  aquarium—  which  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  world—  and  there  saw  the 
living  curiosities  of  the  mighty  deep  from  a 
place  of  observation  similar  to  being  side  by 
side  with  them  in  the  depths  of  the  sea.  Leav- 
ing there,  we  passed  the  tomb  of  Virgil,  who 
for  many  years  made  Naples  his  home,  and 
we  then  drove  through  the  grotto  of  Posilippo, 
mentioned  by  writers  nineteen  hundred  years 


We  closed  a  day  of  sight-seeing  by  ascend- 
ing the  heights  below  the  castle  of  St.  Elmo 
and  the  monastery  of  San  Marino,  where  we 
obtained  a  grand  and  far-reaching  view  of  the 
city  and  bay.  In  the  distance,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  bay,  rose  the  islands  of  Capri  and  Ischia, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  69 


and  on  its  high,  rugged  shores  on  either  side 
gleamed  the  white  walls  of  ancient  towns  whose 
foundations  date  back  more  than  a  score  of 
centuries.  Towards  the  north  old  Vesuvius 
belched  forth  his  cloud-like  column  of  smoke. 
Although  the  conditions  were  favorable,  the 
scene  before  us  could  not  at  all  compare  with 
that  presented  to  our  eyes  on  our  return,  en- 
tering the  bay  from  the*  sea  a  little  before  sun- 
set.\ 

In  the  evening  about  dark  we  started  on 
the  train  for  Brindisi  by  way  of  Foggia.  The 
lights  shone  brightly  over  the  city.  Naples  is 
always  animated ;  it  is  the  most  lively  city 
that  we  saw  in  Italy.  I  have  often  heard  it 
called  "lazy  Naples,"  but  I  saw  nothing  lazy 
in  it  except  the  climate..  I  had  been  led  to 
believe  that  the  lazzaroni  of  Naples — who  are 
not  necessarily  beggars — were  the  most  indolent 
class  of  persons  in  the  world.  In  all  my  travels 
I  have  never  elsewhere  met  such  lively  and 
active  beggars.  The  only  fault  I  could  find 
with  Naples  is  that  it  is  altogether  too  full  of 
life  ;  it  does  not  seem  consistent  with  its  para- 
disal  climate.  Everybody  is  either  in  continual 
motion  or  eagerly  awaiting  the  opportunity 
to  bring  into  exercise  his  native  potential  ac- 
tivities.\ 


70  A    Visit  to  Europe 

For  some  time  the  only  other  occupant  of 
our  railway  compartment  was  a  captain  of  the 
Italian  army.  Although  we  had  taken  a  com- 
partment  in  which  smoking  was  forbidden, 
the  officer  soon  began  to  make  preparations 
for  a  smoke — a  proceeding  which  the  smoker 
of  our  party  viewed  with  evident  signs  of  sat- 
isfaction. Whenever  we  two  non-smokers  were 
alone  with  him  in  a  railway  carriage  he  re- 
spected the  rights  of  the  majority ;  but  the 
slightest  encouragement  of  bad  example  would 
lead  him  in  a  moment  to  cast  to  the  winds 
all  rules  and  railway  regulations  in  regard  to 
smoking.  For  the  next  two  hours  they  enjoyed 
themselves  amidst  clouds  of  smoke  in  the 
lofty  regions  of  fancy.  As  for  ourselves,  we 
could  hardly  distinguish  the  thick  smoke 
rolling  out  of  the  crater  of  Vesuvius. \ 

During  the  night  our  feverish  sleep  was  in- 
terrupted at  frequent  intervals  by  the  noisy 
shouts  of  the  men  at  stations,  in  which  the 
names  Napoli  and  Foggia  were  always  min- 
gled, and  for  days  afterwards  at  odd  times 
those  two  names  were  ringing  in  our  ears.  As 
the  next  day  would  be  Pentecost  Sunday,  we 
intended  to  stop  over  for  Mass  at  the  latter 
episcopal  town,  situated  on  the  great  plain  of 
Apulia,  where  we  arrived  early  in  the  morning. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  71 

The  streets  were  already  filled  with  people 
from  the  country,  who  appeared  *to  belong 
mostly  to  the  poorest  and  most  rustic  class- 
shepherds  and  workingmen  on  farms,  with  their 
wives  and  daughters.  Many  of  them  wore 
clothes  so  patched  and  old  that  they  must  have 
been  the  Sunday  suits  of  their  grandfathers 
in  their  courting-days.  One  of  our  number 
obtained  permission  to  say  Mass  in  the  cathe- 
dral. The  bells^  were  rung  and  the  church 
was  quickly  filled  with  people.  A  few  were 
well  dressed,  but,  taken  all  in  all,  it  was  one 
of  the  most  motley  crowds  I  have  ever  seen. 
At  later  Masses  a  higher  social  grade  would 
probably  have  been  present.  The  sanctuary 
was  filled  with  women  of  middle  age,  who 
were  plainly  but  cleanly  dressed,  and  sat  in 
rows,  seemingly  some  privileged  confraternity. 
If  I  had  known  exactly  who  they  were  they 
would  probably  have  appeared  to  me  more 
interesting.  Of  those  in  the  main  body  of 
.the  church  some  stood  during  almost  the  entire 
Mass,  some  knelt  a  portion  of  the  time,  while 
others — some  of  them  young  _  men  in  ragged 
raiment,  with  great,  heavy  shoes  with  large 
nails  thickly  driven  in  their  soles— knelt  on 
the  hard  stone  pavement  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  Mass,  in  deep  and  earnest  prayer 


72  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  adoration.  True  devotion  is  not  depend- 
ent on  rank  in  society,  respectable  dress,  or 
even  on  education.  Among  the  most  impover- 
ished and  illiterate  classes,  while  some  from 
lack  of  proper  dispositions,  and  others,  .with 
good  dispositions,  from  lack  of  instruction,  fail 
in  that  outward  respect  which  is  due  to  the 
solemn  sacrifice,  some,  poorest  of  God's  poor, 
most  scanty'  in  their  store  of  knowledge,  most 
humble  of  God's  lowly  ones,  kneel  before  the 
altar  like  the  rapt  cherubim  and  sera/phim 
before  God's  throne.\ 

After  Mass  the  rain  began  to  pour  down, 
and  Foggia  looked  dreary.  I  am  afraid  that 
our  impressions  of  the  town  were  not  such  as 
they  could  have  been  under  more  favorable 
circumstances.  We  saw  many  respectable-ap- 
pearing people,  both  in  the  town  and  at  the 
station,  and  the  priests  whom  we  met  were  a 
very  respectable  and  priestly-looking  clergy. 

Before  noon  we  were  again  on  the  train,  mov- 
ing quickly  through  the  country.  At  first  we 
passed  over  a  level  plain  where  often,  in  shep- 
herd's hat  and  cloak  and  with  shepherd's 
staff,  tending  their  flocks  and  herds,  we  saw 
the  brothers  in  likeness  of  those  who  had  at- 
tended early  Mass  in  Foggia.  Passing  over 
the  country  roads  in  all  styles  of  vehicles, 


and  the  Holy  Land,  73 

drawn  by  teams  of  variegated  kinds,  large 
numbers  of  people  were  going  to  or.  returning 
from  the  churches  in  neighboring  towns  and 
villages.  In  the  early  afternoon  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  Adriatic,  and  until  near  evening 
passed  down  its  queenly  shores.  This  is  the 
region  of  ancient  Apulia  in  classic  times,  and 
in  the  early  Christian  centuries  belonged  to 
the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople,  and  Greek 
was  the  language  of  its  liturgy.  We  passed 
through  numerous  olive-groves,  getting  fre- 
quent views  of  the  blue  waters  of  the  Adriatic, 
and  passed  many  fair  cities  on  its  shores, 
whose  walls  and  spires  and  towers  shone  with 
a  white  brightness  towards  the  land  and  cast 
their  majestic  shadows  o'er  the  sea.\ 

Towards  evening  we  arrived  in  Brindisi,  the 
ancient  Brundusium,  which  was  settled  at  a 
very  early  time  in  history  by  the  Cretans,  and 
for  many  centuries  was  an  independent  city 
ruled  by  its  own  princes.  In  the  year  267 
B.C.  it  was  taken  by  the  Romans,  who  made 
it  one  of  the  most  renowned  harbors  of  the 
world.  It  was  the  chief  naval  station  whence 
they  set  sail  on  all  their  great  expeditions  to 
Greece  and  the  East.  It  was  the  scene  of 
some  of  the  exploits  of  Caesar,  and  was  visited 
by  Cicero.  Horace,  and  Virgil,  where  the  last 


74  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 


named  died.  It  was  the  end  of  the  Appian  Way 
from  Rome,  and  contains  a  vast  number  of  Ro- 
man ruins.  Of  late  years  its  harbor  has  been 
greatly  improved,  which  has  brought  about  a 
corresponding  revival  in  the  business  and  im- 
portance of  the  town.  On  our  arrival  we  im- 
mediately bought  tickets  for  Alexandria,  on 
the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  line  of  steamers, 
owned  by  an  English  company.  As  one  of 
the  boats  was  lying  at  the  dock,  we  went  on 
board  without  delay,  although  she  would  not 
sail  until  the  next  afternoon.  In  the  evening 
we  took  a  stroll  through  the  city.  Some  kind 
of  a  noisy  demonstration  was  taking  place  in 
honor  of  some  event  of  Italian  unity.  An  un- 
couth crowd  of  boys,  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
years  of  age,  seemed  to  be  the  principal  agents 
of  the  farce.  Some  sympathy  might  be  felt 
for  a  people  in  their  efforts  for  national  unity, 
if  they  had  not  consummated  their  iniquity 
by  drawing  down  on  themselves  the  curse  of 
God  by  smiting  the  anointed  Vicar  of  Jesus 
Christ.  When  they  shall  have  repaired  that 
wrong,  crying  to  Heaven  for  vengeance,  some 
of  their  other  victims,  who  have  been  'cast 
under  the  national  car  of  Juggernaut,  may  ask 
the  pardoning  prayer  of  mercy  for  the  guilty 
ones,  or  rather  for  those  of  them  who  have 


and  the  Holy  Land.  75 

not  already  appeared,  unabsolved   or   unrepen- 
tant, before  the  judgment-seat  of  Gocl.l 

The  following  morning  we  were  able  to  get 
a  better  view  of  our  surroundings.  Brindisi 
rose  by  rather  steep  incline  to  its  dignified 
eminence  overlooking  the  bay.  Standing  above 
us,  not  far  distant,  was  the  stately  column  that 
marked  the  end  of  the  Appian  Way.  Just 
across  an  alley  from  it  we  could  see  the  roof 
and  upper  portion  of  Virgil's  house.  At  a  little 
distance  was  the  cathedral,  built  in  Norman 
times  on  the  highest  elevation  of  the  city,  with 
a  square  tower  on  one  corner  and  opposite  to  it 
a  pointed  round  tower  surmounted  by  the  cross. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  vessel  appeared  the 
beautiful  bay,  with  a  narrow  but  fair  opening 
to  the  sea,  whose  blue  expanse  could  be  seen 
beyond.  On  the  shores  of  the  bay  on  either  side 
were  groves  of  the  principal  trees  of  South 
Italy — olive,  lemon,  orange,  and  xmlm.  And 
towering  over  the  bay  with  its  immense  round 
towers  frowned  the  old  castle,  built  by  succes- 
sive sovereigns  in  the  middle  ages.  After  break- 
fast I  climbed  the  hill  to  make  a  closer  inspec- 
tion of  the  column  and  Virgil's  house.  Some- 
times in  Italy  the  most  historic  buildings  are 
occupied  by  the  poorest  and  most  humble  fami- 
lies, which  was  also  true  in  the  case  of  the 


/  6  A    Visit  to  Europe 


bouse  of  the  great  Latin  poet.  I  chose  a  good 
position  on  a  large  stone  near  the  base  of  the 
column,  and  gave  myself  to  musing  on  the  mar- 
vellous power,  the  grand  highways,  the  exten- 
sive dominions,  and  the  poets,  orators,  and  war- 
riors of  ancient  Rome.  Afterwards  I  entered 
the  cathedral,  where  they  were  just  commencing 
a  solemn  High  Mass.  The  canons  were  present, 
and  here,  as  elsewhere  in  Italy,  I  was  very  favor- 
ably impressed  by  the  priestly  look  and  bear- 
ing of  the  clergy. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  got 
under  way  and  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  and 
down  the  eastern  coast  of  Italy,  beholding  in 
the  distance  the  land  of  Otranto,  the  ancient 
Calabria  of  the  Romans,  passing  cities  and  towns 
upon  its  shores  which  appeared  to  us  more  like 
a  mirage  than  a  reality,  until  night  closed  down 
upon  the  waters. \ 

When  we  came  on  deck  the  next  morning  the 
island  of  Cephalonia  was  in  sight  not  far  dis- 
tant, which  is  the  largest  of  the  Ionian  Islands 
and  frequently '  mentioned  by  Homer.  It  was 
named  after  the  mythological  Cephalus,  and  is 
separated  from  ancient  Ithaca  by  only  a  nar- 
row channel.  Ithaca  is  another  of  the  Ionian 
Islands,  and  the  "kingdom  of  Ulysses"  in  Ho- 
meric poems.  In  a  short  time  Zante,  the  most 


and  the  Holy  Land.  77 

productive  of  the  Ionian  Islands,  rose  above  the 
horizon.  It  is  only  ten  miles  south5  of  Cepha- 
lonia,  between  which  two  islands  ships  can  sail 
into  the  Gulf  of  Lepanto,  celebrated  for  its  vic- 
torious battle  in  defence  of  Christendom.  Pass- 
ing by  Zante,  we  sailed  all  the  afternoon  down 
the  shores  of  fair  Greece,  where  delightful 
breezes  kissed  the  most  lovely  blue  waters  that 
I  have  ever  seen.  All  of  the  country  to  the 
north  and  northeast  of  us  was  the  ancient  Pelo- 
ponnesus, whose  chief  city,  Sparta,  so  celebrated 
in  history,  was  only  twenty  miles  inland  from 
that  rocky  coast,  among  those  blue  mountains 
on  which  our  eyes  now  rested. \ 

The  day  was  beautiful,  the  air  was  delicious, 
the  sky  was  like  the  pure  dome  of  heaven,  the  sea 
was  an  image  of  the  sky  in  deeper  colors,  and  the 
spiritjof  historic  centuries  not  only  hovered  over 
us  but  had  already  alighted  in  our  hearts.  Greece 
in  ancient  times  must  have  been  to  its  refined  in- 
habitants a  fascinating  country,  an  earthly  para- 
dise. Captivated  by  my  surroundings,  I  began 
to  compose  a  poem,  of  which  I  wrote  only  two 
stanzas,  but  which  reflect  my  feelings  at  the  time  : 

0  Greece !  if  thou  hadst  been  ray  home, 

On  shores  of  thy  blue  sea, 
In  golden  vales  though  I  might  roam, 

My  heart  would  cling  to  thee. 


78  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Though  fairer  skies  might  smile  on  me 

In  realms  of  goddess  queens, 
My  homesick  heart  would  turn  to  thee 

And  languish  for  thy  scenes.  \ 

The  next  morning  we  were  sailing  near  the 
shores  of  Crete,  which,  veiled  in  a  thin,  light 
haze,  and  its  mountain-tops  shining  like  silver 
crests,  seemed  to  us  a  fairy  island  of  romance. 
An  island  of  romantic  history  it  truly  is  ;  for 
on  majestic  Mount  Ida,  one  of  those  highest 
mountains  seen  rising  from  its  centre,  Zeus, 
chief  god  of  the  Greeks,  and  Jupiter  of  the 
Romans,  supreme  ruler  of  mortals  and  immor- 
tals, was  said  to  have  been  born.  Homer,  who 
lived  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago,  spoke  of 
Crete  as  the  island  "  of  a  hundred  cities."  How 
often  have  the  pennants  of  Greece  and  Rome 
fluttered  in  sight  of  its  shores  as  their  galleys 
flashed  past,  under  the  quick  stroke  of  banks  of 
gleaming  oars,  on  their  way  to  conquest  or  do- 
minion !  How  many  of  the  apostles  of  Christ 
and  the  early  Church  have  sailed  along  those 
shores  and  seen  the  same  bright  vision  that  we 
saw,  and  lovingly,  with  apostolic  eye  and  zeal, 
have  looked  on  those  bays  and  cities,  witli 
ardent  longing  to  bring  the  blind  worshippers  of 
mythical  deities  to  a  knowledge  of  Christ,  the 
true  God  !  In  the  afternoon  the  blue  waters  of 


and  the  Holy  Land.  79 

the  Mediterranean  alone  were  visible   on  every 
side. 

The  next  day  soon  after  noon  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  shores  of  Egypt.  As  we  approach- 
ed them  a  dark,  sultry  atmosphere  overhung 
the  coast  and  the  city  of  Alexandria.  Every- 
thing was  typical  of  Egypt,  and  no  country 
that  we  had  yet  visited  was  more  like  what  we 
had  conceived  it  to  be  than  the  one  before  US.N 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  LAND  OF  THE  PHARAOS  AND  OF  THE 
PYRAMIDS. 

\THE  kingdom  of  Egypt  is  more  than  four 
thousand  years  old,  its  first  king  having  been 
Misraim,  or  Menes,  a  grandson  of  Noe.  It  is 
said  that  Cham,  son  of  Noe,  settled  in  Egypt, 
and  after  his  death  was  worshipped  under  the 
title  of  Jupiter  Ammon.  Egypt  is  certainly  a 
very  extraordinary  country,  and  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  nations  of  pagan  times.  A  stable 
government,  wise  laws,  and  a  fertile  soil  com- 
bined to  procure  for  her  a  long  era  of  pros- 
perity, during  which  great  cities  rose  on  the 


8o  A    Visit  to  Europe 

banks  of  the  Nile,  whose  imperis liable  ruins  evi- 
dence their  elegance,  grandeur,  and  magnifi- 
cence. The  history,  ruins,  and  monuments  of 
ancient  Egypt  prove  her  advanced  knowledge 
and  culture  in  the  arts  and  sciences.  When  we 
consider  where  the  human  race  had  its  origin, 
arid  where  a  good  portion  of  it  continues  to 
dwell,  we  see  that  she  is  situated  in  one  of  the 
most  favored  centres  of  the  earth. 

.We  soon  entered  the  harbor  of  Alexandria, 
and  the  scenes  which  surrounded  us  were  full 
of  dreamy  excitement.  Vessels  of  nearly  all  the 
chief  nations  of  the  world  were  riding  at  anchor, 
from  the  ancient  Egyptian  barque  with  its 
single  tall  lateen  sail  to  the  great  iron  monsters 
of  modern  warfare ;  and  their  flags  floating  from 
their  masts  represented  a  large  portion  of  the 
history,  sentiments,  and  principles  of  the  world 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years.  But  we  look- 
ed in  vain  for  a  vessel  flying  the  stars  and 
stripes.X 

Alexandria  was  founded  by  Alexander  the 
Great  more  than  twenty-two  hundred  years  ago, 
and  was  once  a  city  of  great  magnificence.  It 
is  on  the  great  highway  between  the  East  and 
West.  Although  in  many  respects  distinctively 
oriental,  it  is  one  of  the  most  cosmopolitan 
cities  of  the  Avorld.  The  different  nationalities 


and  the  Holy  Land.  81 

comprising  its  population  are  an  evidence  of 
this.  In  1870  its  entire  population  was  about 
240,000.  Of  these  there  were  25,000  Greeks, 
20,000  Italians,  15,000  French,  12,000  English 
Maltese,  12,000  Levantines  of  miscellaneous  Eu- 
ropean descent,  8,000  Germans,  and  8,000  other 
foreigners,  besides  Arabs,  Copts,  Turks,  Arme- 
nians, and  Persians.  On  account  of  the  English 
occupation  of  Egypt,  since  that  time  the  num- 
ber of  English  residents  in  Alexandria  must 
have  greatly  increased.  Nearly  one  thousand 
passengers,  on  an  average,  daily  enter  and  leave 
its  port. 

Various  buildings  and  ruins  stand  prominent 
on  the  shores  on  either  side  ;  but  among  them 
all  the  eye  seeks  for  the  famous  Pompey's 
Pillar,  about  which  there  has  been  much  dis- 
cussion as  to  its  origin  and  in  whose  honor 
erected  ;  but  it  was  probably  built  by  an  Egyp- 
tian governor  named  Pompey,  in  honor  of  Dio- 
cletian. Far  out  at  sea  its  majestic  form  is 
visible.  \ 

Having  come  to  anchor,  a  fleet  of  small  boats 
immediately  surrounded  us,  whose  commanders 
and  rowers  were  decked  out  in  all  the  innumer- 
able styles  of  the  Orient.  Fez  and  turban,  flow- 
ing robes  and  wide  breeches  gathered  below  the 
knee,  rich  dress  and  scarcely  any  dress  at  all, 


82  A    Visit  to  Europe 

distinguished  the  men  in  the  boats  below  the 
gangways  of  the  steamer  who  contended  for 
place  and  passengers.  A  passenger  gained  at 
the  port  often  means  service  for  a  tour  through 
Egypt  and  up  the  Nile.  We  selected  an  Egyp- 
tian dragoman  who,  with  the  exception  of  a 
Turkish  fez,  wore  the  usual  dress  of  Europeans. 
From  the  landing,  where  we  had  no  difficulty, 
not  even  our  passports  being  required,  we  drove 
to  the  Hotel  Abbat,  accompanied  by  our  guide. 
Having  taken  rooms,  being  yet  inexperienced  in 
the  East,  we  placed  the  entire  excursion  for  the 
day,  carriages,  fees,  and  all,  in  his  hands,  for 
which  he  was  to  receive  a  stated  amount.  Alex- 
andria is  a  very  interesting  city,  and  although 
there  are  not  a  large  number  of  existing  monu- 
ments of  historical  renown,  there  are  many 
ruins  which  mark  the  sites  where  pride  of 
power  has  crumbled  into  dust,  where  the  fanes 
of  learning,  sacred  and  secular,  have  become 
smoke  and  ashes,  and  where  the  Christian  re- 
ligion once  shone  with  a  new  splendor  and  left 
an  immortal  name.  But  the  people  and  street 
scenes  were  a  constant  source  of  pleasure  to  us. 
When  one  considers  the  many  diversified  orien- 
tal races  and  nationalities  that  throng  the  streets 
of  the  city,  and  the  varieties  and  combinations 
in  the  cut  and  colors  of  their  costumes,  he  can 


and  the  Holy  Land.  83 


readily  conceive  how  strangely  new  those  Eastern 
faces  and  old  fashions  seemed  to  us;  Our  guide 
could  tell  us  to  what  people  or  race,  and  usu- 
ally to  what  trade  or  profession,  the  different 
persons  that  we  met  belonged.  He  pretended 
to  like  the  Americans  and  to  dislike  the  English, 
not  because  they  were  English,  but  because  of 
their  continued  occupation  of  his  country.  He 
took  great  pride  in  the  Egyptians  and  frequent- 
ly told  their  superiority  over  the  Turks  and 
Arabs.  He  seemed  to  bear  a  special  hatred 
against  the  Greeks,  and  would  never  speak  of 
them  with  respect.^ 

On  our  way  to  Pompey's  Pillar  we  met 
wagon-loads  of  women  coming  from  the  ceme- 
teries. They  wore  a  kind  of  thick  veil  reach- 
ing from  below  the  eyes,  and  partly  kept  from 
the  face  by  a  sort  of  spiral  spool  above  the 
nose.  They  appeared  to  me  as  the  Egyptian 
women  might  have  looked  three  thousand  years 
ago.  Pompey's  Pillar  is  constructed  of  red 
granite  and  is  one  hundred  and  fourteen  feet 
high.  Surrounding  it  were  many  large  blocks 
of  stone  half -buried  in  the  sand,  and  near  by 
was  a  Mohammedan  cemetery.  Although  now 
deserted,  this  was  once  a  busy  place  on  the 
most  magnificent  street  of  the  city.  \ 

In    the    evening    we    wandered    through    the 


84  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

streets  to  see  the  city  after  nightfall.  Two  of 
us,  realizing  that  the  ornamental  part  of  our 
education  had  been  neglected,  and  knowing 
that  it  would  soon  become  a  necessity  and 
that  the  practice  which  makes  perfect  usually 
appears  more  graceful  in  the  dark,  concluded 
to  take  a  donkey-ride.  About  twenty  boys 
and  donkeys  immediately  surrounded  us — for 
they  seemed  to  get  a  knowledge  by  instinct 
of  our  half-formed  resolution — and  amid  much 
confusion  of  names  and  qualities  of  donkeys 
we  got  astride  of  those  which  we  thought 
would  suit  us  ;  but  to  this  day  I  cannot  tell 
whether  my  donkey  was  the  "  Prince  of 
Wales,"  " Yankee  Doodle,"  or  the  "Empe- 
ror of  China."  Let  it  be  well  understood 
that  one  must  stand  pretty  high  in  the  public 
esteem  of  Egypt  and  the  world  before  he  can 
have  an  Egyptian  donkey  named  after  him. 
The  ride  was  pleasant.  I  afterwards  got  to  love 
the  sound  of  the  quick  clatter  of  donkey-hoofs 
on  the  streets,  and  to  see  the  donkey -boy 
running  behind,  urging  on  his  favorite.  It  is 
a  picturesque  sight.  Our  friend  who  did  not 
care  for  a  ride,  in  fact  who  thought  it  was 
rather  undignified,  returned  nearly  the  entire 
distance  to  the  hotel  accompanied  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  remaining  eighteen  boys  and 


and  the  Holy  Land,  85 

donkeys.  He  did  not  take  an  undignified  ride, 
but  his  march  was  triumphal.  We  enjoyed 
his  situation  v  then  better  than  he  did,  but  I 
believe  that  he  enjoys  it  better  now  when  he 
looks  back  at  it.  Afterwards  in  Palestine  he 
got  to  prefer  those  innocent,  long  eared,  useful 
little  pets  to  any  other  means  of  conveyance. 

The  next  day  we  took  the  train  for  Cairo. 
In  a  short  time  we  came  in  sight  of  and 
passed  Lake  Mareotis,  which,  with  the  low- 
built,  brown  Egyptian  villages  with  small  white 
domes  or  minarets  rising  in  their  midst,  and 
the  green  groves  of  palm-trees  on  its  banks, 
presented  a  perfect  picture  of  oriental  sce- 
nery. The  route  led  across  the  famous  Delta 
of  the  Nile.  The  valley  of  the  Nile  and  the 
Delta  constitute  one  of  the  most  fertile  coun- 
tries of  the  world  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
poverished. It  is  enough  to  make  the  heart 
bleed  to  see  the  poor,  industrious  people  of 
Egypt,  working  hard  the  whole  year,  bringing 
forth  abundant  harvests  from  a  rich  soil,  and 
at  the  same  time  living  on  the  verge  of  star- 
vation. Are  not  the  so-called  Christian  na- 
tions of  Europe  guilty  of  the  crime  of  allow- 
ing it  ?  Who  but  God  hears  the  cry  of  the 
oppressed  ?  \ 

On   our   journey  we   saw  many   curious  and 


86  A    Visit  to  Europe 

instructive  sights.  However  attractive  the  low 
mud  villages  of  the  country  might  appear  at 
some  other  season,  under  the  burning  heat  of  the 
sun  in  June,  without  the  proximity  of  a  cooling 
body  of  water,  they  looked  quite  the  opposite. 
Nearly  the  whole  way  the  tillers  of  the  soil 
were  engaged  in  artificial  irrigation.  A  water- 
wheel  with  a  number  of  buckets  surrounding 
it  served  the  purpose.  Sometimes  a  mule, 
more  frequently  a  buffalo,  often  a  cow,  was 
hitched  to  a  pole  and  moved  around  in  a  cir- 
cle to  turn  the  water- wheel,  sending  down 
empty  buckets  into  an  opening  at  the  side  of 
the  canal,  and  bringing  up  full  ones,  which 
were  emptied  out  over  the  fields  on  the  other 
side.  I  noticed  that  these  wheels  were  always 
placed  under  the  grateful  shade  of  a  tree. 
Irrigation  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner  was 
seen  practised  in  southern  Italy,  and  it  occur- 
red to  me  that  some  such  plan  might  be  suc- 
cessfully adopted  in  our  country  in  case  of  con- 
tinued drought.  Along  the  way  we  often  saw 
herds  of  cattle  lying  in  the  water,  with  only 
their  heads  and  necks  uncovered,  to  protect 
them  from  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun.\ 

Men  and  women  were  frequently  seen  reclin- 
ing under  the  cool  shadows  of  the  trees.  In 
such  a  land  trees  are  a  great  blessing,  well 


and  the  Holy  Land.  87 

_ 

enjoyed  and  appreciated.  Their  graceful  forms 
and  verdant  colors  seem  endowed  "with  a  new 
and  more  ethereal  beauty  to  the  heated  dwell- 
ers in  tropical  and  sub-tropical  climes.  Many 
of  the  country  people  were  travelling  over  the 
roads,  going  to  and  from  villages  on  foot  or 
on  horses,  asses,  and  camels.  Sometimes  long 
trains  of  camels,  bearing  burdens,  were  seen, 
perhaps  caravans  from  distant  places  ;  and 
sometimes  a  band  of  Bedouins  would  come 
upon  the  scene  with  their  wild  and  warlike 
appearance.  Once  we  saw  approaching  a  vil- 
lage a  party  of  horsemen,  dressed  in  rich  and 
showy  costumes,  riding  fine  blooded,  high-spi- 
rited steeds  gaily  caparisoned  with  silk  spark- 
ling with  gold.  The  leader  of  the  party,  who 
rode  at  its  head,  was  a  venerable  man  with  a 
long  gray  beard,  a  royal-looking  man,  of  such 
dignity  and  appearance  as  one  would  imagine 
were  the  ancient  Egyptian  kings.  It  was  the 
finest  Eastern  cavalcade  that  we  saw  in  our 
travels,  and  any  which  we  saw  in  Europe  could 
not  compare  with  it.  At  another  time  I  saw 
a  tall  man  in  white  turban  and  black  flowing 
robes,  with  a  full  black  beard,  walking  on  the 
road  beside  a  donkey  on  whose  back  was  a 
woman  in  blue  dress,  bearing  in  her  arms  an 
infant  child,  Seen  from  the  distance  it  was  a 


88  A    Visit  to  Europe 

faithful  representation  of  the  Holy  Family  in 
Egypt  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  In 
both  Egypt  and  Palestine  one  frequently  meets 
such  living  reminders  of  holy  scenes./ 

We  crossed  on  our  way  both  the  Eastern  and 
Western  Nile,  and  at  length  saw  that  we  were 
approaching  the  vicinity  of  Cairo  ;  for  there, 
away  in  the  distance  on  the  sands  of  the  de- 
sert, distinct  and  clear-cut  standing  against 
the  sky,  were  three  forms  that  had  ]been  fa- 
miliar to  us  in  pictures  from  our  youth.  There 
were  many  buildings  and  monuments  in  Eu- 
rope and  the  East  which,  as  soon  as  we  saw 
them,  so  well  known  was  their  appearance, 
seemed  to  us  like  old  acquaintances ;  but  the 
pyramids  could  never  be  mistaken  for  any- 
thing elsewhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth.\ 

Having  arrived  at  the  station,  we  intended  to 
go  to  Shepherd's  Hotel,  but  on  leaving  the  train 
we  saw  its  omnibus  driving  away,  and  so  took 
the  one  for  the  Hotel  d' Orient,  which  we  found 
very  satisfactory.  It  was  only  a  little  after 
midday  when  we  were  settled  down  in  our 
rooms.  A  blast  of  air  was  blowing  from  the 
desert,  as  heated  as  if  coming  from  the  furnace 
of  Nabuchodonosor,  King  of  Babylon.  We  con- 
cluded that  it  was  not  safe  to  venture  out,  so 
we  saw  what  we  could  from  the  windows.  We 


and  the  Holy  'Land.  89 

were  opposite  a  square  where  many  donkey- 
boys  and  carriages  were  waiting  for  a  job.  For 
a  time  we  witnessed  the  antics  of  the  boys 
and  drivers,  and  their  untiring  readiness  to 
catch  sight  of  a  stranger  or  acquaintance  who 
might  wish  to  employ  them.  But  nearer  by, 
across  a  narrow  street,  was  a  domestic  scene 
that  pleased  me  more :  A  young  Egyptian  of 
the  humbler  class,  in  a  long,  coarse  blue  robe, 
with  a  white  turban  on  his  head,  was  tending 
a  little  stall-  in  which  were  boiled  eggs,  cakes, 
crockery,  and  similar  cheap  articles  for  sale. 
With  him  was  his  wife,  dressed  in  the  same 
poor  material,  and  veiled.  She  had  with  her 
a  little  curly- haired  boy,  not  yet  weaned.  In 
a  little  while  his  father  took  him  in  his  arms 
and  fondled  and  caressed  him  in  a  way  to 
show,  by  unmistakable  signs  that  brought 
tears  to  my  eyes,  a  father's  tender  love.  A 
father's  and  a  mother's  love  is  about  the  same 
everywhere,  and  to  witness  its  manifestation 
brings  all  of  us  back  to  our  childhood  once 
more.f 

For  several  hours  I  had  heard  a  solemn, 
monotonous  music  not  far  away,  and  now  it 
seemed  to  be  moving ;  so  I  determined,  notwith- 
standing the  heat,  to  start  out  alone  and  grati- 
fy my  curiosity,  I  went  around  several  blocks 


90  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  met  what  proved  to  be  a  funeral  proces- 
sion of  a  young  married  man  of  wealthy  family. 
At  its  head  was  a  camel  covered  with  rich 
trappings,  on  which  rode  a  fantastic-looking 
man.  These  were  followed  by  musicians  and 
hired  mourners,  who  in  musical  tones  bewailed 
the  departed.  A  carriage  in  the  procession 
evidently  belonged  to  the  young  wife.  A  lady 
richly  dressed,  whom  I  took  to  be  her,  fran- 
tically left  the  carriage  and  endeavored  to  seize 
the  bridles  of  the  horses  to  prevent  them  go- 
ing further.  I  suppose  this  also  was  one  of 
the  customary  manifestations  of  grief.  Taken 
all  in  all,  to  our  Western  eyes  it  was  a  funeral 
procession  most  remarkable  for  show  and  as 
an  exhibition  of  outward  sorrow,  which  pro. 
bably  was  the  exterior  of  a  truer  and  deeper 
sorrow  in  the  hearts  of  the  afflicted  wife  and 
relatives. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  we  took  a  carriage 
for  a  drive  through  the  city.  Cairo  is  a  true 
Egyptian  and  oriental  city,  and  possesses  all 
the  charms  of  orientalism,  partaking  much 
more  of  the  Eastern  character  than  Alexandria. 
Tn  Alexandria  one  sees  much  more  of  the  whole 
world j  in  Cairo  much  more  of  the  East.  Cairo 
is  a  great  emporium  of  trade  between  Europe, 
Asia,  and  Africa,  receiving  their  treasures  by 


and  the  Holy  Land.  91 

railways,  boats  on  the  Nile,  and  caravans  of 
the  desert.  Her  merchants  deal  ia  the  silks, 
jewelry,  and  gold  arid  silver  trimmings  of  Da- 
mascus, the  products  of  India  and  the  East, 
and  ostrich  plumes,  ivory,  and  slaves  of  the 
Upper  Nile  region  and  Central  Africa.  It  is 
also  one  of  the  great  marts  for  precious  stones. 
People  from  all  the  different  lands  with  which 
Cairo  is  connected  by  trade  crowd  her  streets 
in  dresses  peculiar  to  their  race  and  regions, 
and  with  complexions  in  all  the  shades  from 
pure  white  to  jet  black.  A  large  number  of 
well-dressed  ladies  are  met,  heavily  veiled ;  and 
from  head  to  foot,  covering  their  dresses  of 
rich  material,  falls  a  black  silk  mantle.  Every 
kind  of  four-footed  animal  used  for  pleasure 
or  bearing  burdens  is  jseen  in  its  thorough- 
fares :_  the  donkey  for  riding  or  heavy  loads, 
horses  for  quicker  or  more  aristocratic  con- 
veyance, the  pure-blooded  Arabian  studs  of 
the  Bedouins  or  of  those  with  wealth  to  afford 
them,  and  camels,  singly  or  in  long  lines— 
"  stately  ships  of  the  desert,"  as  they  are  often 
called. 

We  drove  to  the  citadel  to  get  a  good  view 
of  the  city  and  to  see  the  mosque  of  Mehemet 
Ali.  The  citadel  is  in  the  hands  of  the  British 
troops,  and  the  mosque  in  the  hands  of  a 


92  A    Visit  to  Europe 


crowd  of  beggars  as  persistent  as  the  world  af- 
fords. From  the  heights  of  the  citadel  Cairo 
lay  before  us,  with  its  walls  and  battlements, 
its  store-houses,  its  palaces,  its  harems,  and 
its  four  hundred  mosques  with  their  tapering 
minarets  shining  in  the  glaring  sun  of  an  almost 
perpetually  cloudless  sky.  The  eye  wandered 
up  and  down  the  Nile  for  thirty  miles,  and  be- 
held the  sites  and  monuments  of  some  of  the 
oldest  cities  of  antiquity  :  the  sands  of  the  far- 
famed  Libyan  desert,  on  whose  borders  the 
everlasting  pyramids  raise  their  mighty  forms; 
Old  Cairo  with  its  granaries  of  Joseph  and 
refuge  of  the  Holy  Family  in  Egypt ;  Memphis, 
ten  miles  towards  the  south,  founded  by  Menes 
forty- two  hundred  years  ago,  and  one  of  the 
grandest  cities  of  ancient  Egypt ;  Heliopolis,  a 
few  miles  toward  the  ndrtheast,  the  ancient  On, 
the  oldest  ecclesiastical  city  of  Egypt  and  the 
chief  centre  of  the  worship  of  the  sun,  the 
daughter  of  one  of  whose  priests  the  Hebrew 
Joseph  married.  This  great  city  with  its  grand 
temples  has  been  a  city  of  ruins  for  two  thou- 
sand years.  Some  of  its  most  magnificent  tem- 
ples reflected  their-  new-born  splendors  in  the 
morning  sun  of  four  thousand  years  ago.  An 
obelisk,  covered  with  hieroglyphics,  alone  marks 
the  site  of  the  ancient  city.  It  is  the  oldest  of 


and  the  Holy  Land.  93 

its  kind  and  has  been  in  existence  from  thirty- 
seven  to  thirty-nine  centuries.  We ,  were  stand- 
ing in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  oldest  populated 
regions  of  the  earth,  where  one  of  the  first  and 
most  ancient  streams  of  history  had  its  origin ; 
and  having  admired  with  expansion  of  soul 
this  grand  scene,  where  the  monuments  of  the 
long- sleeping  dead  look  down  serenely  on  the 
activities  and  vanities  of  life,  we  turned  to  our 
more  modern  surroundings.! 

The  mosque  of  Mehemet  Ali  was  near  at 
hand.  It  is  built  in  great  part  of  yellow  ori- 
ental alabaster.  At  the  door  of  the  court  be- 
fore the  mosque  slippers  were  put  on  over  our 
shoes.  In  the  East  they  cover  the  head  and 
uncover  the  feet  as  a  mark  of  respect.  Of  late, 
however,  instead  of  uncovering  the  feet,  it  does 
as  well  to  cover  the  boots  or  shoes  with  a  pair 
of  slippers.  It  takes  several  able-bodied  men  to 
manage  one  pair  of  slippers,  all  of  whom  expect 
backsheesh.  As  well  as  I  could  understand  the 
arrangement,  one  man  puts  them  on  your  feet, 
another  looks  out  for  them  when  they  slip  off, 
as  they  are  very  loose,  and  another  owns  them. 
They  are  a  source  of  revenue  for  all.  It  requires 
less  capital  to  enter  into  business  partnership  in 
a  Mohammedan  mosque  than  in  any  other  place 
in  the  world.  A  man  with  a  dollar  as  capital 


94  A    Visit  to  Europe 

will  take  three  partners  to  help  him  conduct 
the  business.  I  think  there  were  about  ten 
men  who  managed  us.  As  we  found  out  after- 
wards, the  affair  could  have  been  better  ar- 
ranged ;  but  at  that  time  we  were  inexperi- 
enced in  mosque  visits,  and  had  been  misled 
by  writers  who  had  travelled  in  Eastern  coun- 
tries, but  who  had  not  learned  much  by  ex- 
perience. Dark  looks  and  fierce  frowns  of 
fanaticism  were  not  cast  on  us,  although  we 
lost  considerable  backsheesh.  If  it  had  been 
the  Grand  Turk  himself,  he  would  hardly  have 
been  treated  with  greater  respect  and  deference 
than  we  were  by  all  the  officials,  devotees,  and 
hangers-on  of  the  mosque.  One  intelligent 
young  fellow  acted  as  guide  and  told  us  to  whom 
to  give  backsheesh.  At  this  date  I  cannot  re- 
member any  exceptions  that  he  made,  except  a 
devotee  who  was  prostrating  himself  in  prayer 
near  a  fountain  in  the  outer  court.  No  one  who 
has  not  once  entered  a  Mohammedan  mosque 
under  favorable  conditions,  when  business  was 
slack,  will  ever  be  able  to  understand  how  many 
men  it  requires  to  conduct  you  through  the  en- 
trance, to  take  your  umbrella  and  return  it,  to 
care  for  your  slippers,  to  keep  you  from  losing 
yourself,  to  manifest  a  kind  interest  in  you,  to 
get  you  out  safely,  and  finally  to  assure  you, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  95 

as  it  were,  of  your  personal  identity,  that  you 
are  actually  the  same  person  you  wer&  when  you 
entered.  Of  course  we  emerged  with  empty 
pockets  but  high  in  the  esteem  of  a  portion  of 
our  fellow-men. \ 

One  of  my  friends  is  a  person  who  is  not  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  the  smooth  flow  of  any 
stream  ;  he  usually  wants  to  cause  at  least  a 
ripple  on  the  surface.  Looking  at  a  very  beau- 
tiful alabaster  mosque  and  giving  backsheesh 
were  too  monotonous.  As  he  had  very  large 
slippers,  he  could  easily  let  one  slip  off  and 
still  push  his  foot  along  the  floor,  as  if  the  fact 
were  unnoticed.  With  large  slippers  one  moves 
along  as  if  skating ;  in  his  case  the  slipper  was 
about  two  feet  behind  him,  held  to  his  ankle 
by  strings,  and  the  attendant  made  frantic  at- 
tempts to  catch  hold  of  it  and  attract  his  atten- 
tion, which  he  of  course  innocently  considered 
was  an  effort  to  show  him  some  new  beauty  in 
the  mosque.  The  mosque  was  certainly  beau- 
tiful, but  not  nearly  so  fine  as  the  mosque  of 
Omar  in  Jerusalem,  and  was  almost  colder  to 
the  spiritual  nature  of  man  than  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral  in  London.  No  edifice  of  worship 
that  I  have  ever  seen  can  even  approach,  in 
the  spiritual  warmth  and  beauty  of  heaven's 
sunlight,  to  the  temples  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


96  A    Visit  to  Eitrope 

We  would  have  visited  other  mosques,  but  our 
change  was  .exhausted,  and  somehow  our  ex- 
perience had  not  been  sufficiently  pleasant  to 
induce  us  to  do  so,  at  least  for  some  time,  un- 
less there  was  something  more  attractive  than 
costly  material  and  clever  architecture.  In  this 
way  we  missed  the  most  elegant  mosque  in 
Cairo,  that  of  Sultan  Hassan,  which  is  consid- 
ered the  finest  structure  in  modern  Egypt.  We 
returned  to  the  hotel  by  a  circuitous  route  in 
order  to  see  more  of  the  city.\ 

In  the  evening  a  pretty  little  girl  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age  came  in  front  of  the  hotel, 
where  a  number  of  guests  were  sitting,  and  per- 
formed some  very  skilful  tricks  of  jugglery. 
She  then  wanted  backsheesh  ;  and  when  one  of 
the  party  jocosely  asked  her  to  continue,  she 
quickly  replied  :  "No  backsheesh,  no  juggle." 
She  was  a  bright,  clever  little  Egyptian,  spoke 
English  well,  and  succeeded  in  getting  back- 
sheeshA 


and  the  Holy  Land.  97 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  PYRAMIDS — REFUGE  OF  THE  HOLY  FAMILY 
IN  EGYPT — OUR  VOYAGE  TO  PALESTINE. 

\WE  retired  to  our  rooms  early,  as  at  day- 
break the  next  morning  we  were  to  start  for  the 
pyramids.  It  was  so  warm  that  I  did  not 
sleep  well  and  wakened  at  frequent  intervals, 
and  each  time  I  heard  that  sad,  monotonous, 
funereal  music,  I  must  have  heard  it  in  my 
sleej),  for  it  seemed  continuous  in  my  ears  until 
dawn,  when  it  ceased.  At  early  dawn  we  were 
ready,  the  driver  having  slept  in  his  carriage 
in  front  of  the  hotel,  We  employed  a  guide 
whom  we  did  not  need,  and  who  understood 
just  enough  English  to  misunderstand  every- 
thing-.said  to  him.  { 

Cairo  appeared  much  more  charming  in  the 
mild  light  of  early  morning  than  in.  the  fierce 
glare  of  the  sun  when  his  red,  angry  counte- 
nance looked  down  from  the  higher  heavens. 
We  passed  over  the  wondrous  Nile,  crossing  on 
a  bridge  six  hundred  feet  in  length,  built  on  six 
spans,  and  having  at  each  of  its  four  corners 
an  enormous  lion  in  repose  carved  in  stone. 
The  pyramids  are  from  six  to  eight  miles  from 
the  city.  The  smooth  road  is  lined  on  either 


98  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

side  with,  fine  trees,  whicli  interlaced  their 
branches  above  us  and  gave  a  refreshing 
shade ;  and  thus,  the  road  being  not  only  well 
made  but  cool,  the  ride  was  very  pleasant./ 

From  the  time  we  crossed  the  bridge  until 
some  distance  in  the  country  the  way  was 
thronged  with  camels,  asses,  and  horses,  and 
their  drivers  and  riders.  Numbers  seemed  to 
have  been  encamped  by  the  roadside,  and  were 
just  awakening  from  their  slumbers  or  pre- 
paring to  move  ;  others  seemed  to  have  come 
some  distance  and  to  have  started  in  the  night 
in  order  to  arrive  with  their  loads  in  the  city 
early  in  the  morning.  Some  were  Bedouins, 
but  the  large  number  were  country  people 
bringing  the  produce  of  their  farms  and  gar- 
dens to  the  city  market.  We  passed  some  fine 
grounds  and  villas  in  the  suburbs,  among  them 
a  royal  harem,  and  further  in  the  country 
several  villages  some  distance  from  the  way- 
side. Near  one  or  two  of  these  villages  were 
large  ponds,  into  which  a  dozen  or  score  of 
women  and  girls  with  jars  were  wading  to  pro- 
cure water.  About  a  mile  from  the  pyramids 
several  Arabs  met  us,  and  ran  behind  the  car- 
riage the  whole  distance,  frequently  repeating 
their  offers  of  service.\ 

At  the  pyramids  a    dozen   others  who    were 


and  the  Holy  Land.  99 


waiting  for  us  joined  them,  all  anxious  to  ren- 
der any  service  in  their  power.  The  day  had 
already  begun  to  grow  very  warm,  and  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  reflected  on  the  white  sands 
of  the  desert  and  the  great  stones  of  the 
pyramids,  acquired  a  new  intensity  of  heat. 
My  companions  concluded  that  they  would 
not  make  the  ascent  of  the  pyramid  of  Cheops, 
which  so  many  undertake.  As  for  myself,  I 
never  intended  to  run  the  risk  of  any  such 
experiment.  To  say  nothing  of  the  heat,  I 
believes  that  I  could  hardly  stand  on  such  a 
height  without  dizziness,  unless  the  pyramid 
was  steadied  with  its  base  up  with  a  railing 
around  it.\ 

When  we  approached  the  pyramids  they 
seemed  disappointingly  small  ;  but  when  we 
got  near  them,  and  looked  up  at  the  great 
pyramid  of  Cheops,  and  saw  the  size  and 
number  of  the  stones  of  which  it  was  con- 
structed, and  hired  an  Arab  to  ascend  it  in 
our  place,  and  had  seen  him  go  up,  up,  stone 
after  stone,  until  he  was  only  a  white  speck, 
we  concluded  that  after  all  they  were  very 
large.  The  greatest  of  the  number  is  the  pyra- 
mid built  by  King  Cheops  four  thousand  years 
ago.  At  the  present  time  it  is  460  feet  in 
height,  and  its  slope  610  feet,  and  it  covers 


ioo  A    Visit  to  Europe 

an  area  of  about  twelve  acres.  Its  size  is  not 
so  large  as  formerly,  as  great  quantities  of 
stone  have  been  taken  from  it  to  Cairo  for 
building  purposes ;  its  surface  was  formerly 
smooth,  but  is  now  rough  for  the  same  reason 
that  it  has  diminished  in  size.  Leaving  the 
pyramids,  we  went  to  see  the  Sphinx,  accom- 
panied by  the  entire  crowd  of  Arabs  and  our 
"guide,"  who  had  come  with  us  to  protect 
us  from  the  ravages  of  the  Bedouins.  He 
sometimes  did  scold  them  for  their  excessive 
forwardness,  but  with  no  apparent  success. 
The  truth  is,  he  had  got  into  "bad  company," 
for  we  rather  encouraged  them  in  all  their  en- 
terprises. We  really  enjoyed  their  company. 
They  were  more  like  the  same  number  of  chil- 
dren than  anything  else.  We  had  to  choose 
first  and  second  assistants  to  help  us  through 
the  sand,  into  the  underground  apartments,  and 
over  the  walls  of  the  temple  of  the  Sphinx. 
We  could  have  accomplished  everything  as 
well  without  them  ;  but  their  transitory  friend- 
ship— for  our  silver  pieces — was  worth  some- 
thing. One  of  our  party  even  purchased  speci- 
mens of  the  "antique,",  found  near  the  pyra- 
mids, and  probably  manufactured  in  Europe, 
perhaps  in  Cairo.  My  chief  young  man  told 
me  when  I  ridiculed  the  other's  purchase  ; 


and  the  Holy  Land.  101 


"You  know  better,  but  many  English  people 
do  not  know."  Then  he  got  confidential  and 
told  me  that  they  bought  them  from  the  manu- 
facturers and  sold  them  again.  Perhaps  he 
told  me  that  to  please  me,  for  he  was  trying 
by  all  reasonable  means  to  make  himself  agree- 
able. We  all  bought  a  few  specimens  of  a  beau- 
tiful stone  from  the  temple  of  the  Sphinx,  which 
I  think  we  preserved  until  we  got  back  to 
Cairo  ;  they  certainly  are  not  yet  lost  to  Egypt. 
The  venerable  Sphinx  was  an  old  acquaintance 
of  ours,  and  had  not  changed  any  since  we 
last  saw  him  in  school-books.  He  is  a  stone 
lion  146  feet  long,  with  a  man's  face  28  feet 
in  length.  But  different  authors  give  the 
measurement  differently,  and  I  do  not  pretend 
that  I  actually  measured  him.  The  paws  are 
extended  about  fifty  feet  in  front.  The  Sphinx 
was  a  deity  among  the  ancient  Egyptians — the 
"god  of  the  setting  sun"  ;  they  worshipped 
the  sun  under  the  different  appellations  of 
"  morning,"  "noonday,"  and  "  setting  sun."  It 
is  quite  probable,  from  inscriptions  which  have 
been  found,  that  this  Sphinx  was  chiselled  out 
of  the  solid  rock  of  the  desert  before  the  time 
of  Cheops,  who  built  the  first  pyramid.  In 
former  times  an  altar  stood  before  this  huge 
image,  where  the  incense  and  odors  of  sacrifice 


102  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ascended  into  his  nostrils.  He  then  wore  the 
royal  helmet  of  Egypt,  which  has  since  been 
broken  off.  Near  the  Sphinx  is  his  temple, 
which  has  been  excavated  from  beneath  the  sand, 
over  which  it  once  raised  its  costly  walls.  It 
was  built  of  polished  red  granite  and  marble 
in  tiers  of  great  square  blocks,  over  which  and 
under  which  we  passed  in  curious  admiration.\ 
On  our  return  to  the  carriage  near  the  great 
pyramid,  as  we  approached  it,  my  chief  young- 
man  said  to  me:  "  It  is  finished."  I  had  in- 
tended  to  give  him  his  backsheesh  as  a  parting 
token  of  my  regard,  so  that  he  would  not  fur- 
ther annoy  me  by  future  requests  for  more. 
In  a  short  time  he  again  told  me:  "It  is  fin- 
ished." His  meaning  began  to  dawn  on  my 
mind.  I  said  that  I  supposed  those  were  the 
chief  attractions,  but  that  we  would  look  at 
them  awhile  longer.  He  still  insisted:  "It 
is  finished ;  would  you  please  give  me  my 
backsheesh  before  the  others  come  up  to  us  ? 
I  do  not  want  them  to  see  what  I  receive  ;  give 
me  what  you  please."  I  yielded  to  his  rea- 
sonable request ;  and  I  must  give  him,  and 
the  boy  with  him,  the  credit  of  not  asking 
for  any  more.  Amid  the  clamor  of  voices  we 
rode  away,  and  by  the  same  pleasant  route  by 
which,  we  came  returned  to  Cairo.  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  103 

A  short  time  after  our  return  we  took  an- 
other carriage  for  a  visit  to  Old  Cairo,  to  see 
the  place  where  the  Holy  Family  dwelt  during 
their  sojourn  in  Egypt.  Old  Cairo  is  a  pecu- 
liar-looking place,  without  much  external 
grandeur  ;  in  fact,  it  looks  like  the  dwelling- 
place  of  the  poor  and  neglected.  We  soon 
found  the  place  we  were  seeking.  It  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  schismatic  Copts.  The  Copts  are 
probably  the  only  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  Some  congregations  among  them 
are  united  to  the  Catholic  Church,  including 
about  one-third  of  the  Christians  of  that 
rite.  The  remaining  two-thirds  are  schismatics, 
in  union  with  whom  are  the  Abyssinians,  who 
receive  whatever  orders  they  have  from  the 
Copts.  The  Copts  are  the  only  schismatic 
body  in  the  East  whose  ordination  is  doubted 
by  Rome,  and  it  seems  that  both  their  clergy 
and  laity  are  to  a  great  extent  men  of  loose 
morals  and  principles.  Yet,  in  common  with 
all  the  Christians  of  the  Orient,  they  hold  the 
sacred  places  in  great  veneration./ 

We  were  met  by  a  young  Coptic  priest,  who 
was  very  ready  to  show  us  the  places  we 
sought.  We  first  entered  an  ancient  and  rather 
attractive  church  possessing  several  fine  paint- 
ings and  carvings  in  wood.  We  descended 


IO4  A    Visit  to  Europe 

still  lower  to  what  is  now  a  subterranean 
chapel.  Our  clerical  guide  pointed  out  to  us 
the  places  where  the  divine  Infant  Jesus  was 
laid  by  His  parents,  and  where  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  St.  Joseph  sat  to  rest  themselves 
and  gaze  in  silent  rapture  on  the  face  of  the 
Holy  Child.  We  knelt  and  said  short  pray- 
ers to  each  of  the  Holy  Family. 

O  mysterious  Egyptian  land !  the  refuge 
thou  didst  give  to  the  Holy  Infant,  even  though 
unknown  to  thyself,  brought  down  upon  thee 
for  centuries  the  choicest  blessings  of  faith 
and  sanctity,  so  that  thou  didst  become  the 
garden  of  Christ,  and  even  thy  deserts  were 
peopled  with  the  saints  of  God.  What  hast 
thou  done,  O  sorrowful  and  oppressed  land, 
that  thou  hast  lost  thy  heritage  ?  \ 

When  our  priest  guide  saw  us  kneel  and 
kiss  those  sacred  places,  he  asked  us  if  \ve 
were  Latin  priests.  When  we  told  him  that 
we  were  he  showed  us  much  more  respect 
and  attention  than  before,  although  he  had 
already  been  sufficiently  attentive.  All  over 
the  East,  although  they  may  sometimes  pos- 
sess considerable  bigotry  and  bitterness,  the 
schismatic  priests  usually  manifest  a  genuine 
respect,  not  unlike  a  deep  feeling  of  brotherly 
kindness,  towards  their  Western  brethren  who 


and  the  Holy  Land.  105 

acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  great  Patri- 
arch of  Rome.  No  wonder  that*  Leo  XIII. 
has  manifested  an  admirable  sympathy  and 
love  for  these  mistaken  Christians  of  the 
East.  Their  return  to  the  told  of  Peter  should 
not  by  any  means  be  considered  an  unlooked- 
for  event.  I  was  pleased  to  see,  while  in  Rome, 
that  any  information  pertaining  to  the  present 
condition  of  the  Orient  was  listened  to  with 
deepest  attention  ;  and  in  fact,  judging  from 
appearances,  the  authorities  of  the  Church  are 
at  present  more  interested  in  the  return  of  the 
Eastern  schismatics  than  in  the  labors  for 
the  conversion  of  any  Western  people./ 

The  places  once  occupied  by  the  Holy  Family 
are  now  small  altars  in  the  form  of  niches 
cut  in  the  rock.  Under  certain  conditions, 
and  by  permission  easily  obtained,  Catholic 
priests  are  allowed  to  say  Mass  in  this  holy 
chapel.  The  church  above,  which  we  first  en- 
tered, was  probably  built  by  St.  Helena,  mother 
of  Constantine  ;  and  even  before  her  time  the 
house  of  the  Holy  Family  had  been  converted 
into  a  church  by  the  primitive  Christians. 
We  were  then  shown  the  well  which  was 
miraculously  produced  for  the  use  of  the  Holy 
Family  ;  and  having  given  fees  to  the  priest, 
and  to  some  attendants  who  had  furnished 


io6  A     Visit  to  Europe 

tapers    and  had    otherwise  been  of  service  to 
us,  we  returned  to  Cairo./ 

Later  that  afternoon  we  were  again  in  the 
railway  train,  which  was  moving  out  of  Cairo 
towards  Alexandria.  A  number  of  the  pas- 
sengers on  this  return  trip  were  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  English  army,  some  of  whom, 
having  brought  along  a  good  supply  of  beer, 
were  enjoying  themselves.  We  arrived  in 
Alexandria  after  dark  and  immediately  drove 
to  our  hotel.  The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and 
we  attended  Mass  in  the  cathedral  church  of 
St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria,  built  over  the 
spot  where  this  holy  virgin  received  the  crown 
of  martyrdom.  St.  Catharine  is  the  patron 
saint  of  the  city,  but  her  body  is  preserved 
in  the  Greek  monastery  on  Mt.  Sinai.  On  our 
return  we  all  celebrated  Mass  in  this  church, 
around  whose  altars  from  early  morning  until 
late  in  the  afternoon  gather  the  various  nation- 
alities and  races  that  compose  the  population 
of  Alexandria,  from  the  fair-haired  Saxon  of 
the  northern  German-land  to  the  jet-black 
native  of  Central  Africa.  The  Orientals  retain 
many  of  their  old  customs,  and  assist  at  Mass 
in  fez  and  turban  without  uncovering  their 
heads.  As  already  remarked,  this  is  in  accord- 
ance with  their  ideas  of  reverence — to  uncover 


and  the  Holy  Land.  107 

their  feet  rather  than  their  heads — and  is  in 
harmony  with  the  sanctioned  customs  of  olden 
times ;  for  when  the  Lord  appeared  to  Moses 
in  "  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush," 
He  said  to  him:  "Come  not  nigh  hither,  put 
off  the  shoes  from  thy  feet ;  for  the  place 
whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground"  (Exo- 
dus iii.  5).  In  Alexandria  similarity  of  cus- 
toms was  sometimes  manifest  among  people  of 
different  races  who  are  very  dissimilar  in  ap- 
pearance :  black  mantillas  covered  the  heads 
and  hung  low  from  the  shoulders  of  Spanish 
ladies  whose  intelligent  faces  and  clear  com- 
plexions indicated  the  pure  blood  of  Castile  ; 
a  white  mantle  over  the  head  and  falling  to 
the  feet,  enveloping  the  entire  body,  was  the 
usual  covering  of  a  very  different  race  of  females, 
who?  when  they  turned  their  faces  towards  us, 
revealed  the  dark  skin  and  black,  glittering 
eyes  of  the  Nubian  negress.  The  Catholics 
of  Alexandria  and  Cairo  together  number 
about  sixty-three  thousand./ 

That  same  day  we  took  passage  on  a  Russian 
steamer  for  Jaffa.  Everything  on  board  was 
according  to  the  Russian  style,  and  we  found 
the  first  cabin  very  pleasant,  the  officers  of 
the  boat  very  kind  and  polite,  the  beds  clean, 
and  an  excellent  table,  with  its  white  cloth 


io8  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  napkins,  its  neat,  shining  silver  service, 
and  its  many  courses  of  food  well  cooked  ac- 
cording to  the  Russian  mode.  / 

Early  the  next  morning  we  arrived  in  Port 
Said,  where  we  remained  until  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon.  The  town  itself  was  not  inte- 
resting, but  the  harbor  was  filled  with  vessels, 
among  them  some  of  the  finest  war-ships  of 
different  nations  which  I  have  ever  seen.  Un- 
til then  I  had  never  realized  the  beauty  and 
finish,  combined  with  strength  and  power,  of 
the  best  class  of  Italian,  English,  and  French 
war-vessels.  That  some  of  the  other  powerful 
nations  of  Europe  have  ships  of  equal  excel- 
lence is  probable,  but  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  seen  them.  As  a  patriotic  American  I 
grieve  to  say  that  our  American  naval  arks  are. 
shabby-looking  hulks,  with  the  only  things  of 
beauty  about  them  the  flag  that  floats  over 
them  and  the  thought  that  they  bear  upon 
their  shaky  decks  men  with  hearts  true  to 
their  colors.  We  hired  a  row-boat  with  rowers 
and  took  a  ride  up  the  harbor,  hoping  to  get 
a  better  view  of  the  now  famous  Suez  Canal. 
On  our  return  to  the  steamer  we  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  the  listless  day  watching  half  -naked 
men  at  work,  who,  like  a  great  many  others 
who  only  half  work,  made  up  the  deficiency 


and  the  Holy  Land.  109 


by  a  generous  amount  of  noise.  We  also  tried 
to  amuse  ourselves  looking  at  it-he  huge  por- 
poises, of  which  the  harbor  seemed  full,  dis- 
porting themselves,  rising  partly  out  of  the 
water,  skimming  along  its  surface,  and  then 
diving  again  into  its  depths./ 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  moved 
slowly  out  of  the  harbor  to  the  open  sea. 
The  land  gradually  disappeared  ;  we  had  left 
successively  America,  Europe,  and  Africa,  and 
now  the  great  continent  of  Asia  was  before  us. 
The  next  country  which  we  shall  see  is  the  land 
of  promise,  not  alone  to  the  chosen  people  of 
God,  but  in  a  wider  sense  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  Oh  !  is  it  possible  that  in  to-mor- 
row's light  our  eyes  shall  rest  upon  that  favor- 
ed country  ?  Tlie  night  and  sleep  will  intervene, 
but  in  to-morrow's  rising  sun  we  si i all  look 
upon  that  land.  To-day  is  the  dark  Egypt 
of  this  life,  to-night  will  come  the  sleep  of 
death,  and  to-morrow  will  appear  the  bright, 
beautiful  shores  of  the  heavenly  country  and 
the  haven  of  eternal  rest.  The  city  of  the  liv- 
ing God  is  enclosed  in  those  emerald  hills  be- 
yond, and  before  our  eyes  its  jewelled  walls 
and  golden  splendors  will  flash  in  the  celestial 
light  of  to-morrow's  eternal  day./ 


THE  HOLY  LAND, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JAFFA    AND   THE   ROAD    TO   JERUSALEM. 

\  AT  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  we  stood 
on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  waiting  anxiously 
for  the  first  glimpse  of  land,  which  we  knew 
lay  not  far  away  before  us.  We  had  been 
deeply  interested  in  the  lands  which  we  had 
already  seen ;  and  before  our  return  home  we 
expected  to  visit  other  countries,  cities,  and 
shrines  of  the  Old  World  ;  but  none  of  them, 
not  even  the  Eternal  City  itself,  could  compare 
in  interest  with  the  land  which  we  were  now 
approaching.  It  is  the  Holy  Land,  the  cradle 
of  the  human  race  and  of  Christianity.  It  is 
the  very  soil  that  has  been  impressed  with  the 
sacred  footprints  of  our  Lord.  It  was  the 
earthly  home  of  St.  Joseph  and  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  and  the  Divine  Child  Jesus.  And 
as  the  land  is  so  dear,  and  everything  that  per- 
tains to  it  so  interesting  to  every  Christian,  I 
will  try  to  describe,  in  a  simple  way,  our  too 


The  Holy  Land.  \  i  i 


brief  visit  there.  I  will  be  strictly  truthful  in 
describing  what  I  saw,  as  it  is  possible  that 
sometimes  imagination  has  run  away  with  vera- 
city. Truth  cannot  do  harm,  even  when  told 
of  the  most  sacred  places.  In  many  other 
countries  you  will  find  longer  rivers,  higher 
mountains  and  more  extended  plains,  more 
beautiful  and  sublime  scenery,  a  more  fertile 
soil  and  more  salubrious  climate.  Palestine 
evidently  is  not  what  it  once  was  ;  but  even 
in  ancient  times,  in  the  days  of  Naaman,  there 
were  more  magnificent  rivers  than  the  Jordan, 
but  none  so  sacred.  A  mother's  grave  may 
not  be  the  brightest  spot  on  earth,  but  it  is 
often  the  dearest.  So  with  the  land  to  which, 
with  every  stroke  of  the  wheel  and  every  beat 
of  our  ardent  hearts,  we  drew  nearer.  / 

There  at  length,  lying  before  usj  appeared 
the  hills  of  Palestine — the  mountains  of  Ephraim 
to  the  north,  and  the  "hill  country  of  Judea" 
to  the  south— and  a  little  later  the  white  and 
colored  walls  and  houses  of  Jaifa  were  plainly 
visible.  In  the  distance,  seen  from  the  sea, 
Jaffa,  rising  in  terraced  heights  on  a  conically- 
shaped  promontory,  surrounded  by  its  numer- 
ous palm,  cypress,  and  orange  groves,  is  cer- 
tainly beautiful ;  and  when  you  are  once 
within  the  town,  although  you  will  find  many 


ii2  A    Visit  to  Europe 

things  to  shock  your  taste,  you  will  also  come 
upon  many  fine  views  from  which  you  will 
find  it  difficult  to  draw  yourself  away./ 

Our  steamer  came  to  anchor  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  shore,  as  all  vessels  of  fair  size 
do  ;  and  the  water  was  soon  covered  with  a 
multitude  of  small  boats,  making  to  us  as 
quickly  as  possible.  We  had  already  become 
used  to  Oriental  costumes,  Oriental  ways,  and 
the  East  in  general,  but  never  before  had  we 
seen  a  Jaffa  boatman.  There  may  be  other 
mortals  in  the  world  like  him— we  know  there 
are  in  Haifa — but  we  never  expect  to  look  upon 
his  like  again.  The  Jaffa  boatmen  are  the  noisiest 
lot  of  fellows  in  the  world.  The  man  who  can 
shout  louder  or  gesticulate  more  violently  must 
have  more  lungs  and  life  than  one  of  them.  From 
my  knowledge  of  the  world  I  do  not  believe 
the  man  exists.  You  would  think  that  nothing 
less  would  satisfy  them  than  the  blood  of  their 
fellow-boatman  who  might  be  successful  in  get- 
ting a  passenger  or  trunk.  But,  after  all  their 
noise  and  seemingly  desperate  intentions,  they 
see  their  rivals  row  away  with  a  boat-load,  and 
their  own  boat  empty,  with  the  best  evidences 
of  good  nature.  You  gradually  discover  that 
they  are  a  lot  of  good-natured,  good-looking, 
courageous  fellows,  whom  you  would  soon  get 


and  the  Holy  Land.  1 1 3 

to  admire  if  it  were  not  for  the  noise  and  con- 
fusion they  make./ 

We  were  about  to  visit  Palestine  at  a  sea- 
son of  the  year  when  there  are  few  visitors.  A 
priest  on  the  American  mission  cannot  choose 
the  season  most  pleasant  for  his  travels.  From 
the  middle  of  March  to  the  first  of  May  is  un- 
doubtedly the  best  time  for  Palestine  travel. 
In  the  first  part  of  June  the  harvest  is  nearly 
over,  and  every  week  the  weather  is  becoming 
more  uncomfortably  warm.  But  that  this  Bib- 
lical land  may  be  better  understood,  it  is  well 
that  its  valleys  and  hills  and  towns  should  be 
described  as  seen  by  different  eyes  at  different 
seasons  of  the  year.  We  were  about  to  enter 
the  Holy  Land  when  it  was  clothed  neither 
with  the  beautiful  verdure  of  spring  nor  with 
the  barren  desolation  of  autumn.  Although 
there  had  been  no  rains  for  five  weeks  pre- 
vious, neither  all  the  green  nor  all  the  flowers 
of  spring  had  yet  faded.  Heavy  dews  fell  at 
night,  and  an  occasional  cloud  was  seen. 

We  soon  landed,  and  the  place  whereon  we 
stood  was  holy  ground.  Our  baggage  had  to 
submit  to  a  slight  examination,  and  our  pass- 
ports were  presented.  We  now  learned  the 
great  convenience  of  a  moderate  use  of  "back- 


ii4  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Among  the  crowd  that  met  us  was  one  man 
whom  you  would  readily  recognize  as  a  native 
of  the  Eastern  States  of  our  own  country.  We 
learned  from  him  that  he  was  a  resident  of 
Jaffa,  who  had  come  out  with  the  now  defunct 
American  colony  once  planted  here.  It  was  a 
pleasure,  so  far  away  from  home,  to  meet  one 
of  our  own  countrymen ;  and  yet  it  seemed 
strange  to  see  him  choose  to  live  in  such  sur- 
roundings. We  can  understand  the  reason  of 
the  choice  in  the  case  of  monks  and  other 
pious  persons,  who  live  there  because  it  is  the 
Holy  Land.  He  told  us  he  was  the  guide  of 
our  -great  American  general  and  of  our  new 
minister  to  Turkey  when  they  visited  the 
country.  Followed  by  about  a  dozen  others, 
he  conducted  us  to  the  Franciscan  monastery 
and  hospice,  where  we  were  cordially  welcomed 
by  the  good  monks.  It  was  our  first  intro- 
duction to  the  monks  and  their  hospitality  in 
Palestine.  We  had  determined  during  our  stay 
to  make  our  home  with  them  wherever  pos- 
sible, for  we  knew  that  they  could  better  di- 
rect us,  open  the  way  to  greater  spiritual  ad- 
vantages, and  more  quickly  animate  us  with 
the  right  spirit  of  the  holy  places.  We  were 
not  deceived,  and  soon  learned  to  love  these 
humble  sons  of  St,  Francis  and  devoted 


and  the  Holy  Land.  115 


todians  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  prayers  rise 
from  our  hearts  whenever  we  remember  them.} 
It  was  now  early  in  the  morning,  and  we 
were  not  to  start  for  Jerusalem  until  about  live 
o'clock,  so  we  had  sufficient  time  to  see  Jaffa. 
The  time  was  past  when  we  could  travel  here 
and  there  to  places  of  interest  in  carriages. 
Horses,  donkeys,  and  pedestrianism  must  take 
their  place.  We  visited  the  traditional  house 
of  Simon  the  tanner,  and  ascended  to  the  roof, 
where  St.  Peter  went  to  pray,  and  where  he 
beheld  the  vision  of  the  sheet  let  down  from 
heaven.  It  was  certainly  a  pleasant  place  to 
which  to  retire,  and  takes  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  scenes  of  Jaffa,  but  not  more  lovely 
than  that  from  the  windows  and  terraces  of 
the  Franciscan  convent.  On  our  return  to 
Jaffa,  about  two  weeks  afterwards,  I  had  bet- 
ter occasion  to  appreciate  the  latter  during  a 
quiet  Saturday  and  Sunday,  when  I  had  little 
else  to  do  but  to  enjoy  the  scene  and  meditate. 
The  waves  of  the  blue  sea  were  rolling  in  over 
the  rocks  that  surround  the  peaceful  little 
harbor,  where  a  few  sailing  vessels  were  lying. 
Farther  out  an  American  man-of-war  was  rid- 
ing at  anchor,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  were  a 
pleasant  sight,  one  which  we  did  not  elsewhere 
see  for  a  long  time,  except  when  they  floated 


1 1 6  A    Visit  to  Europe 

over  our  tent  in  Jericho.  In  fact,  from  the  time 
we  left  New  York  Bay  until  we  returned, 
while  we  frequently  saw  the  flags  of  other  coun- 
tries, we  saw  our  own  only  a  few  times.  Our 
commerce  seems  to  be  destroyed  and  our  flag 
banished  from  the  ocean.  What  other  eyes  be 
fore  mine  have  looked  out  upon  this  ancient  har- 
bor !  Here  the  cedars  were  brought  for  Solomon's 
temple;  here  Jonas  embarked;  here  also,  with- 
out doubt,  many  of  the  Apostles  departed  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth  to  spread  the  Gospel  and  suffer 
martyrdom ;  and,  dearest  of  all,  St.  John,  the 
beloved  Apostle,  and  the  Blessed  Mother  of  our 
Lord  came  here  to  the  seaside  to  set  sail  for 
Ephesus.  Jaffa  is  probably  the  oldest  port,  and 
is  on  the  site  of  one  of  the  oldest  cities,  of  the 
world.  It  has  an  antediluvian  origin.  It  is  said 
that  here  Noe  entered  into  his  ark,  and  that  his 
sepulchre  is  here,  where  one  of  his  sons,  after 
the  flood,  built  a  city.V 

After  our  visit  to  the  house  of  Simon  the  tan- 
ner we  wandered  through  the  narrow  streets  and 
saw  their  strange  sights.  We  constantly  won- 
dered why  all  the  cities  of  the  Orient  are  not 
stricken  with  cholera  during  the  summer  season. 
Palestine  is  the  home  of  the  cucumber,  a  great 
favorite  with  the  people.  Thousands  of  them 
are  bought  daily  and  eaten  raw,  without  being 


and  the  Holy  Land.  \  \  7 

pared  or  seasoned.  Yet,  notwithstanding  the 
seeming  violation  of  nearly  all  tHe  laws  of 
health,  they  escape,  and  the  really  clean  and 
careful  cities  of  Europe  are  afflicted.  \ 

On  our  tour  we  had  to  make  use  of  guide- 
books, and  they  are  certainly  useful,  but  we 
began  to  discover  some  of  their  discrepancies. 
The  population  of  Jaffa,  as  given  by  Baedeker, 
is  8,000;  by  Bradshaw,  20,000;  by  the  Ameri- 
can Cyclopcedia,  10,000.  Besides  the  schis- 
matical  Oriental,  there  are  in  Jaffa  Catholic 
Maronite,  Greek,  and  Latin  churches.  The 
Catholic  population  of  Jaffa  is  about  2,000. 
There  is  near  Jaffa  a  German  Protestant  col- 
ony of  the  temple.  Of  the  American  colony 
of  forty  families  who  settled  here  in  1866 
about  half  died,  and  the  others,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four,  returned  home.  Their  idea 
was  a  religious  one,  but  our  American  friend 
told  us  that  the  religious  notion  had  long 
since  departed.\ 

The  Germans  have  been  more  successful.  It 
is  their  belief  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians 
to  settle  in  the  Holy  Land.  Notwithstanding 
the  numerous  deaths  that  have  occurred  among 
them,  they  have  prosperous  colonies  near  Jaffa, 
Jerusalem,  and  Haifa.  They  have  good  cut- 
stone  houses,  fertile  fields,  and  fine  cattle.  We 


n8  A    Visit  to  Europe 


also  found  them  a  very  honest  and  industrious 
class  of  people ;  but  we  were  told,  whether 
truthfully  or  not,  that  the  younger  generation, 
for  the  most  part,  is  growing  up  without  re- 
ligion. There  is  a  telegraph-line  and  wagon- 
road  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem.  This  road,  and 
one  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  and  another 
from  Haifa  to  Nazareth,  are  the  only  wagon- 
roads  in  Palestine.  The  German  colonies  have 
the  best  wagons.  Their  charges  to  Jerusalem 
in  June  are  five  or  six  dollars.  Cook  &  Son 
have  a  carriage  which  will  cost  nearly  three 
times  that  amount. \v 

Towards  evening  we  started  for  Jerusalem, 
and  were  in  Ramleh  by  dark.  We  were  ac- 
companied about  two  miles  out  by  our  Ameri- 
can friend,  who  rode  a  very  fine  horse.  Not  of 
our  party  were  wagons  before  and  behind,  and 
on  horseback,  riding  near  us,  a  member  of  the 
temple  community  who  keeps  an  inn  at  Ram- 
leh,  and  a  very  picturesquely  dressed  Bedouin. 
Our  American  friend  and  the  Bedouin  indulged 
in  the  excitement  of  a  horse-race,  in  which  the 
American  was  winner.  We  passed  on  our  way 
some  fine  groves  surrounding  various  kinds  of 
buildings,  among  them  a  Jewish  school  of  agri- 
culture. We  were  now  crossing  the  renowned 
plain  of  Sharon.  We  were  attracted  by  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  119 

remarkable  hedges  of  cactus,  which  afterwards 
became  very  familiar  to  us,  many  of4  which  are 
ten  or  more  feet  high.\ 

The  place  where  Samson  tied  together  the 
foxes'  tails,  that  he  might  burn  the  cornfields 
and  vineyards  of  the  Philistines,  was  pointed 
out  to  us.  We  did  not  go  to  the  convent  in 
Ramleh,  as  it  was  cooler  travelling  during  the 
night,  but  took  supper  with  our  new  German 
acquaintance,  and  then  proceeded  on  our  way. 

From  Ramleh  not  much  of  the  country  was 
to  be  seen  until  morning,  but  the  journey  was 
not  accompanied  by  the  usual  stillness  of  the 
night.  Many  others  besides  ourselves  were 
going  over  the  same  way.  At  length  we  came 
to  a  place  called  the  "Gate  of  the  Mountain"  ; 
on  one  side  of  the  road  is  a  restaurant,  and  on 
the  other  a  watch-house.  Here  we  stopped, 
with  a  number  of  others,  and  nearly  every  one 
took  a  short  sleep  or  some  refreshments.  Our 
driver,  who  was  a  very  sleepy-headed  fellow, 
after  caring  for  his  horses  "  went  to  bed"  on 
the  ground.  He  probably  would  have  stayed 
there  until  morning  if  we  had  not  found  him 
and  got  him  again  started  on  the  journey. 
We  now  began  to  ascend — sometimes  went 
down  again,  but  usually  up — until  we  reached 
Jerusalem.  In  the  morning  Neby  Samwil  rose 


I2O  A    Visit  to  E^trope 


before  our  eyes  to  the  north.  It  was  the  birth- 
place, residence,  and  burial-place  of  the  pro- 
phet Samuel.  It  was  the  site  of  the  famous 
city  of  Benjamin,  where  the  people  rejected 
God  as  their  king  and  chose  to  have  a  king 
"  like  other  nations."  It  is  claimed  by  some 
to  have  been  the  place  where  arose  the  watch- 
tower  of  Mizpah,  "a  place  of  lookout,"  where 
Saul  was  chosen  king  in  the  midst  of  the  as- 
sembly of  Israel.  There  might  be  much  reason 
for  the  opinion  that  Mizpah — or  Maspha — was 
in  that  neighborhood  if  it  could  be  reconciled 
with  the  ancient  and  undoubtedly  correct  tra- 
dition that  Neby  Samwil  is  the  site  of  the 
home  and  tomb  of  the  prophet  Samuel.\ 
/  Soon  after  we  came  to  a  wayside  inn  situ- 
ated in  the  beautiful  valley  of  Terebinth,  six 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  which  was  the  scene  of 
the  battle  between  David  and  Goliath:  "And 
all  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  the  valley  of 
Terebinth,  fighting  against  the  Philistines."  To 
the  south,  at  the  end  of  the  valley,  is  the  vil- 
lage of  Ain  Karim,  which  the  Christians  call 
St.  John's.  It  is  the  place  of  the  Visitation  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  to  St.  Elizabeth,  and  where 
St.  John  the  Baptist  was  born.  We  afterwards 
made  a  visit  there,  which  will  be  described  in 
proper  order.x 


and  the  Holy  Land.  ill 

After  a  short  "rest"  we  again  started  over 
the  weary  road.  The  morning  grew  more  sul- 
try, and  the  sun  beat  down  upon  us  with  its 
intenser  rays.  The  "everlasting  hills  about 
Jerusalem,"  on  this  side  at  least,  were  barren 
and  desolate.  Lizards  in  large  numbers  were 
gliding  quickly  over  the  burning  rocks,  about 
the  only  living  thing  manifest.  Now  and  then 
we  would  pass  a  woman  carrying  on  her  head 
a  load  of  some  kind  of  produce  to  the  city. 
A  miserable  village,  clinging  to  the  side  of  a 
hill  or  lying  in  a  valley,  would  occasionally  be 
seen.  The  general  effect  produced  in  the  minds 
of  tired  travellers  was  a  strange  one,  and  it 
was  hard  to  realize  that  this  was  the  once 
rich  "land  of  promise  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey."  But  it  is  hard  to  realize  the  natural 
changes,  to  say  nothing  of  those  that  are 
supernatural,  that  take  place  in  any  country 
during  three  thousand  years.  Yet  we  could, 
without  much  effort,  imagine  the  ancient  people 
of  God  "going  up  to  Jerusalem,"  the  holy  city 
on  Mount  Sion,  to  worship  Him  in  His  holy 
temple:  "For  thither  did  the  tribes  go  up, 
the  tribes  of  the  Lord  to  praise  the  name  of 
the  Lord."/ 


122  A    Visit  to  Europe 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   HOLY   CITY,    JERUSALEM. 

\  WE  ascended  Mil  after  hill,  and  from  each 
high  eminence  before  us  expected  the  long- 
sought  vision  to  burst  upon  our  joyous  sight. 
The  Crusaders  went  around  by  way  of  the  north, 
and  from  the  heights  of  "Neby  Samwil"  first 
caught  sight  of  the  Holy  City.  Many  travellers 
have  also  taken  that  route,  and  have  enjoyed 
the  sublime  pleasure  of  first  seeing  the  city 
from  afar,  and  crying  out:  "Behold  Jerusa- 
lem!" It  is  probable,  however,  that  at.  the 
present  time  the  vast  number  of  pilgrims  like 
ourselves  take  the  smoother  main  road  and 
find  themselves  suddenly  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
city.  \ 

After  having  seen  the  desolate  country  through 
which  we  had  just  passed,  we  were  hardly  pre- 
pared for  the  city  that  now  met  our  eyes.  To 
me,  at  least,  there  was  no  disappointment  in  my 
first  view  of  the  walls  and  city  of  Sion.  The 
modern  city  has  extended  out  beyond  the  walls, 
and  there  are  fine  buildings  in  the  suburbs  on 
all  sides  of  Jerusalem.  If  one  did  not  know 
that  such  a  city  existed,  and  should  come  on  it 


BEHOLD  JERUSALEM  ! 


and  the  Holy  Land.  123 

suddenly  after  a  rough  journey  through  the 
bleak  hills  surrounding  it,  he  would  .hardly  be 
able  to  believe  his  senses. 

It  was  indeed  to  us  a  joyful  surprise.  We 
passed  down  the  street  outside  the  walls  to  the 
Jaffa  gate.  Wheeled  vehicles  are  not  allowed 
on  the  streets  within  the  walls.  So  we  stopped 
outside  the  gate,  and  were  quickly  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  men  and  boys  anxious  to  take 
our  baggage  to  any  part  of  the  city.  Having 
chosen  several,  we  directed  them  to  Casa  Nova, 
the  hospice  of  the  Franciscan  fathers.  They 
welcomed  us  with  their  usual  cordial  welcome, 
and  the  father-superior  assigned  us  the  rooms 
which  we  were  to  occupy  during  our  stay ;  and 
right  glad  we  were  to  have  a  good  chance  once 
more  to  take  a  quiet  rest.  Before  we  got  to  our 
rooms  native  guides  were  on  hand  to  offer  their 
services.y 

Guides  are  a  necessary  evil.  They  are  of  great- 
use  to  you  at  times,  and  just  when  you  begin 
to  get  independent  you  find  them  to  be  a  ne- 
cessity ;  but  they  are  also  a  great  bother,  hang- 
ing after  you  when  you  would  much  rather  be 
alone.  There  were  two  native  Arab  Catholic 
guides,  who  spoke  English  and  wished  to  be 
employed  ;  we  chose  the  younger.  We  stayed  in 
Jerusalem  and  vicinity  eleven  days,  but  did  not 


124  A    Visit  to  Europe 

see  half  that  we  wanted  to  see,  and  could  not 
delay  over  and  meditate  on  what  we  saw  as 
long  as  we  would  desire ;  but  we  saw  all  that 
was  of  most  interest  to  us.\ 

The  population  of  Jerusalem  is  on  the  in- 
crease. I  believe  it  cannot  now  fall  much  short 
of  40,000.  The  Catholic  population  is  not  so 
large  in  proportion  as  in  several  other  towns  of 
Palestine.  The  city  probably  contains  about 
3,000  Catholics  of  all  rites,  mostly  of  the  Latin 
rite.  Probably  there  are  twice  that  number  of 
Greek,  Armenian,  and  other  schismatics,  nearly 
10,000  Jews,  and  the  remainder  Moslems.  Jeru- 
salem is  a  much  larger  and  finer  city  than  I  had 
expected  to  find  it.  It  is  situated  on  an  elevated 
plateau  of  limestone,  about  2,500  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  is  nearly  surrounded  by 
valleys  on  three  sides  :  on  the  east  by  the  valley 
of  Josaphat,  or  valley  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
through  which  flows  the  torrent  Kedron  ;  and  on 
the  south  and  a  portion  of  the  west  side  by  the 
valley  of  Ennom.  Beyond  the  valley  of  Josa- 
phat lies  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  rises  about 
200  feet  higher  than  the  city  ;  south  of  the  valley 
of  Ennom  is  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel.  The 
walls  surrounding  the  principal  part  of  the 
city  are  15  feet  thick  at  the  base,  and  from  30 
to  50  feet  in  height,  or  a  mean  height  of  38|  feet, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  125 


with  37  towers,  forming  an  irregular  quadrangle 
of  about  2£  miles  in  circumference.     Beginning 
with    the    northeast    corner,    the  wall    extends 
nearly  south ;  from   the  southeast  to  southwest 
corner  it  runs  southwest ;  from  the  southwest  to 
northwest  corner  the  direction  is   northwest  by 
north  ;  and  the  north  wall  runs  northeast.     The 
north  and  south  walls  are  the  longest.    Mount 
Calvary  is  towards  the  northwest,  Mount  Moria 
at  the  southeast,  and  Mount  Sion  at  the  south 
of  the  city,   to  the  west  of  Mount  Moria.    The 
streets  are  narrow  and  irregular,  and  not  at  all 
times  clean.    There  are  seven  gates  to  the  city, 
six  of  which  are  open  a  portion  of  the  time  ;  but 
the  Golden  Gate,  leading  up  to  the  temple  from 
the  east,  through  which  Christ  made  his  trium- 
phal entry,  is  now  closed.     The  principal  gates 
are :  on   the  north   the  Damascus  gate,  on  the 
east  St.  Stephen's  or  the  Blessed  Virgin's  gate, 
on   the   south   Sion  gate,  and   on  the  west  the 
Jaffa  gate.    Before  I  entered  Palestine,  Jerusa- 
lem lay  in  a  well-defined  picture  before  me,  and 
I  knew  its  celebrated  sanctuaries,  as  if  familar 
sights,  as  soon  as  I  saw  them.     Yet  I  was  able 
almost   every  day  to  lose  my  way,    and  only 
found  it  when  I  turned  up  at  the  Jaffa  gate.\ 
The  highest  temperature  of  Jerusalem  is  92° 
Fahr.,  the  lowest  28°  above,  and  the  mean 


126  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Fahr.  Snow  falls  in  Palestine  in  the  winder, 
but  usually  does  not  lie  except  on  the  higher 
mountains.  The  two  chief  seasons  are  the  rainy 
and  dry.  The  spring  is  the  most  pleasant  part 
of  the  year,  lasting  from  the  middle  of  March 
to  the  middle  of  May.  About  the  middle  of 
May  harvest  begins,  and  ends  about  the  middle 
of  June.  Very  rarely  in  May  there  are  thunder- 
storms, but  from  that  time  until  October  there 
are  but  few  clouds  and  no  rains,  although  at 
night  there  are  very  copious  dews.  During  a 
portion  of  this  time  the  heat  becomes  excessive, 
especially  in  the  valleys.  In  October  the  "  early 
rains'''  of  Holy  Scripture  take  place,  and  seed- 
time extends  from  the  middle  of  October  to  the 
middle  of  December.  In  the  latter  part  of  No- 
vember the  trees  lose  their  foliage,  which  they 
resume  towards  the  beginning  of  February.  The 
"  latter  rains  "  fall  in  March  and  April,  during 
which  months  the  whole  country  is  covered  with 
the  choicest  flowers  and  verdure.  The  climate  in 
the  lower  valley  of  the  Jordan  is  tropical,  owing 
to  its  wonderful  depression. \ 

At  last  we  were  in  Jerusalem,  eight  thousand 
miles  away  from  our  home  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Michigan.  We  were  in  Jerusalem,  city 
of  the  "  vision  of  peace."  "  Our  feet  were  stand- 
ing in  thy  courts,  O  Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem  ! 


and  the  Holy  Land,  127 

which  is  built  as  a  city,  which  is  compact 
together."  "The  foundations  thereof  are  in  the 
holy  mountains ;  glorious  things  are  said  of  thee, 
O  city  of  God!"  Thou  hast  been  great  in  thy 
joy,  O  city  of  Sion !  and  thou  hast  been  desolate 
in  thy  sorrow,  O  city  of  Calvary  !  But  in  joy 
or  in  sorrow,  thou  dost  ever  attract  the  soul  of 
the  Christian ;  for  the  Lord  "hath  loved  Sion," 
and  the  Son  of  God  "wept  over  it." 

Jerusalem  was  a  city  in  the  days  of  Abraham, 
when  Melchisedech  was  King  of  Salem,  which 
now  is  Jerusalem.  It  was  a  city  of  the  Jebusites 
for  five  hundred  years  after  the  children  of 
Israel  had  entered  the  Promised  Land.  It  was 
finally  captured  by  David,  and  made  the  royal 
city  of  David  and  Solomon,  and  of  a  long  line 
of  the  kings  of  Juda.  Here  God  dwelt  in  His 
holy  temple,  and  here  Jesus  Christ  closed  the 
scenes  of  his  life  on  earth .  by  His  Passion  and 
Crucifixion.  We  could  hardly  realize  that  we 
were  really  in  Jerusalem. 

After  we  had  rested  a  few  hours  we  started 
out  to  visit  those  places  which  are  the  first  and 
only  thought  of  the  Christian  pilgrim  when  he 
enters  the  city — Mount  Calvary  and  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  On  the  streets  the  same  Oriental 
scenes  and  costumes  met  our  eyes  to  which  we 
had  become  accustomed. \ 


128  A    Visit  to  Europe 

The  great  change  that  almost  necessarily  occurs 
in  the  surroundings  of  any  historical  place  in 
the  course  of  centuries  makes  it  more  difficult 
to  realize  that  this  is  the  exact  spot  where  a 
particular  event  took  place  Yet  a  man  would 
lack  reason  who  would  doubt  when  the  proofs 
are  convincing.  Practically  he  rarely  does 
doubt,  except  where  some  kind  of  opposing  pre- 
judice deprives  him  of  the  right  use  of  reason. 
The  natural  and  necessary  changes  in  surround- 
ings do  not  make  an  intelligent  man  less  thor- 
oughly convinced  in  judgment,  but  he  may  fail 
to  realize  as  vividly  as  he  might  expect  the  ful- 
ness of  what  was  once  actual.  This  is  the  case 
when  one  approaches  the  Holy  Sepulchre  and 
Mount  Calvary.  But,  like  all  things  of  great 
importance,  they  grow  on  you  with  time  and 
repeated  visits.  Yet  even  at  the  first  visit  no 
one  can  describe  the  strange  sensations  that 
thrill  the  heart  and  the  elevated  thoughts  that 
fill  the  mind.  Here,  just  before  us,  was  the 
church. of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  covers  the 
hill  of  Calvary,  where  Jesus  Christ  died  on 
the  cross  and  rose  from  the  dead.  I  will  not 
enter  into  details  about  the  church,  it  has  been 
so  often  described,  and  printed  plans  are  famil- 
iar to  almost  every  reader.  \ 

As  you  enter  the  church,  at   the  left   are  a 


and  the  Holy  Land.  129 


few  Moslem  custodians,   squatted  on  a  slightly 
elevated  bench,  to  whom  you  pay  no  particu- 
lar attention,  except   to  be   reminded  by   their 
presence  that  many  of   the  most  sacred  places 
of   the  Holy   Land    are    in    the    hands  of    in- 
fidels—a   fact  which  heresy,    schism,    and   the 
indifference  of    Catholic  nations  permit.       Not 
far  from   the   door,  and  directly  before   you  as 
you  enter,  is   the  Stone  of  Unction,  where  our 
Lord's   body   was   placed   when  it  was  anoint- 
ed by   Joseph   of  Arimathea  and  Nicodemus : 
"  They   took   therefore  the  Body  of  Jesus  and 
bound   it  in    linen  cloths   with   the   spices,    as 
the  manner  of   the  Jews  is  to  bury."     It  is  the 
custom  of    Christians    to    kneel    and    kiss    the 
stone  as  they   enter.      Not  only  Catholics  but 
all  kinds  of  schismatics  do   the   same.     So  far 
as  nearly  all  the   sacred  places  are  concerned, 
they  are  treated    alike    with    reverence  by  all 
who  bear  the  Christian    name,    except  by   the 
unfortunate    followers   of  the  Western  heresy 
of  the  sixteenth   century.    Even  Moslems  look 
on  many   of  them    as   sacred,    and   treat  them 
with    becoming    respect.       The    Mohammedans 
treat  the  sacred  places  of  the   Chris lians  with 
far    greater     reverence    than    do    Protestants, 
with  a  few  praiseworthy  exceptions.      To  the 
right    leads   to   Mount   Calvary ;    we  turned   to 


130  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  left,  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre:  "Now  there 
was  in  the  place  where  He  was  crucified  a 
garden  ;  and  in  the  garden  a  new  sepulchre, 
wherein  no  man  yet  had  been  laid.  There, 
therefore,  because  it  was  the  parasceve  of  the 
Jews,  they  laid  Jesus,  because  the  sepulchre 
was  nigh  at  hand."  This  account  shows  that 
the  sepulchre  was  near  Calvary.  The  distance 
is  about  110  feet.  The  Holy  Sepulchre  is  in 
the  centre  of  a  rotunda.  A  chapel  26  by  ]?£ 
feet  encloses  it.  In  front  of  the  sepulchre  is 
the  "  Chapel  of  the  Angel,"  which  you  enter 
by  a  low  door.  The  chapel  is  10  by  16  feet. 
From  it,  through  a  small  door,  stooping  low, 
you  enter  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  It  is  6  feet 
wide  by  6^  feet  long.  At  the  right  is  a  hewn 
stone  nearly  six  feet  in  length,  on  which  the 
body  of  our  Lord  was  laid.  It  rises  nearly 
three  feet  from  the  floor,  and  is  covered  with 
a  marble  slab.  On  the  sepulchre,  as  an  altar, 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  offered.  It 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  Greeks,  Copts,  Armen- 
ians, and  Catholics.  Here,  as  everywhere  else 
in  Palestine,  the  Greeks,  through  the  aid  of 
Russian  money,  have  the  chief  influence  and 
control.  Catholics  are  usually  allowed  to  offer 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  only  twice  each  day  on 
this  altar.  By  permission  of  the  Holy  See, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  131 

Catholics  say  Mass  on  the  same  altar,  with  a 
few  necessary  additions,  as  the  schismatics.  A 
large  number  of  precious  lamps  are  constantly 
burning  over  our  Saviour's  tomb,  and  devout 
native  Christians  and  pilgrims  from  every 
land,  at  all  times,  are  found  kneeling  here  in 
prayer:  "In  that  day  the  root  of  Jesse,  who 
standeth  for  an  ensign  of  people,  Him  the 
Gentiles  shall  beseech,  and  His  sepulchre  shall 
be  glorious."  Coming  out,  not  far  beyond  the 
sepulchre  is  the  place  where  St.  Mary  Magdalen 
met  Christ  and  mistook  Him  for  the  gardener, 
and  near  by  is  her  altar,  on  which  I  after- 
wards said  Mass.  To  the  right  is  the  sacristy 
of  the  Catholics,  and  directly  ahead  the  Chapel 
of  the  Apparition,  built  over  the  site  of  the 
house  to  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  retired 
after  the  Crucifixion,  and  where  our  Lord  ap- 
peared to  her  after  His  Resurrection.  It  be- 
longs to  the  Catholics,  and  contains  a  portion 
of  the  Pillar  of  Scourging,  f 

From  here  we  went  back  to  Calvary,  from 
the  floor  of  the  church  ascending  nineteen 
steps  to  the  place  where  Christ  was  crucified. 
The  Greek  and  Catholic  chapels,  really  in  one 
room,  are  forty-seven  feet  long  and  about  the 
same  in  width.  The  altar  over  the  place  where 
the  cross  stood  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Greeks, 


132  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  no  Catholic  pries fc  is  allowed  to  say  Mass 
on  it.  Beneath  it  is  seen  the  hole  where  the 
cross  was  fixed  in  the  rock,  and  a  few  feet 
away  the  rent  in  the  rock:  "And  the  earth 
quaked,  and  the  rocks  were  rent."  Very  close 
to  this  altar,  a  few  feet  distant,  is  a  Catholic 
altar  of  the  Seven  Dolors,  where  the  Blessed 
Virgin  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  and 
received  the  body  of  her  Divine  Son  into  her 
arms.  I  have  not  seen  this  altar  marked  on 
any  of  the  printed  plans  of  the  church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre.  A  few  feet  beyond  it  is  the 
altar  of  the  Crucifixion,  where  Christ  was 
nailed  to  the  cross,  which  is  also  in  the  hands 
of  the  Catholics.  A  number  of  persons  are 
continuously  approaching,  to  kiss  the  sacred 
rock  where  the  cross  was  raised  on  which 
Christ  died,  and  a  priest  in  passing  the  spot, 
to  say  Mass  at  the  other  altars,  makes  a  genu- 
flection. We  then  descended  beneath  the 
chapel  of  the  raising  of  the  cross  to  the  tradi- 
tional tomb  of  Adam.  It  is  directly  under  the 
place  of  Crucifixion,  and  certainly  has  very 
authoritative  tradition  in  its  favor,  upheld  by 
Tertullian,  Origen,  St.  Epiphanius,  St.  Chrysos- 
tom,  and  St.  Augustine.  While  St.  Jerome  in  his 
commentary  disfavors  it,  in  his  46th  Epistle  he 
says:  "  It  is  said  that  in  this  city  (Jerusalem), 


and  the  Holy  Land.  133 

yea,  at  this  very  spot,  Adam  had  lived  and 
died,  whence  the  place  where  Christ  was  cruci- 
fied was  called  Calvary — that  is,  because  there 
was  buried  the  skull  of  the  old  man  (Adam) — 
in  order  that  the  second  Adam — that  is,  the 
blood  of  Christ  dropping  from  the  cross- 
would  wash  away  the  sins  of  the  first  Adam 
lying  there."  Calmet  says,  in  his  commentaries 
on  the  Holy  Scripture,  that  "it  is  the  opin- 
ion received  in  a  great  measure  by  tlie  ancient 
writers,  and  in  a  great  measure  approved  by 
the  authority  of  the  Church,  that  the  tombs  of 
Adam  and  Eve  are  on  Mount  Calvary." \ 

From  this  it  seems  probable  that  this  place 
was  called  Calvary,  or  the  place  of  a  skull  or 
skulls,  not  from  its  possible  shape  like  a 
skull,  nor  because,  being  a  place  of  execution, 
skulls  may  have  been  strewed  there,  but  be- 
cause it  was  known  to  the  Jews  that  Adam 
was  buried  there  Near  by  is  shown  the 
tomb  of  Melchisedech,  the  priest-king  of  Jeru- 
salem and  type  of  Christ,  who,  when  he  came 
forth  to  bless  Abraham,  offered  the  sacrifice  of 
bread  and  wine  in  the  valley  of  Josaphat.y 

We  afterwards  visited  the  prison  of  Our 
Lord,  chapel  of  Our  Lady  of  Sorrows,  chapel 
of  Longitms,  chapel  of  Parting  the  Garments, 
chapel  of  Mocking,  chapel  of  St.  Helena,  altar 


134  A    Visit  to  Europe 

of  the  Penitent  Thief,  place  where  the  true 
cross  was  found,  tombs  of  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea  and  Nicodemus,  and  the  "Greek  Centre  of 
the  World."  V  After  visiting  the  church  we  went 
out  to  make  a  visit  to  the  Via  Dolorosa  (Sor- 
rowful Way),  over  which  our  Lord  made  His 
sorrowful  journey  on  His  way  from  the  house 
of  Pilate  to  the  place  of  His  Crucifixion.  It 
begins  near  St.  Stephen's  gate  and  extends 
in  a  southwesterly  direction.  The  house  of 
Pilate  is  now  separated  by  the  street  from 
the  place  of  Scourging.  At  the  present  time 
the  former  is  occupied  by  Turkish  troops, 
and  the  latter  is  a  chapel  belonging  to  the 
Franciscan  fathers.  I  had  already  had  the 
sad  pleasure  of  going  up  the  holy  stairs  of  Pi- 
late's house,  on  my  knees,  in  Rome,  where 
they  are  preserved.  A  portion  of  the  Pillar  of 
Scourging  is  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, and  another  portion  is  in  Rome.  A  little 
farther  on  is  the  arch  and  balcony  where  Pilate 
presented  Christ  to  the  people,  saying:  "  Ecce 
Homo!"—"  Behold  the  Man  !  "  All  along  the 
Via  Dolorosa  are  numbers  indicating  the  differ- 
ent Stations  of  the  Cross  :  where  our  Lord  fell 
under  the  weight  of  the  cross,  where  He  met 
Simon  of  Cyrene  and  the  women  of  Jerusalem, 
the  house  of  St.  Veronica,  and  where  He  met 


and  the  Holy  Land.  135 

His  most  afflicted  Mother.  The  Sisters  of  Sion 
have  a  line  convent  near  the  arch  ''JScce  Homo" 
We  afterwards,  at  different  times,  passed  over 
this  Sorrowful  Way,  and  in  our  memory  and 
imagination  could  ever  see  that  sad  procession 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  ago ;  and 
we  seemed  to  see  the  half-closed,  blood-stained 
eyes  of  the  Sorrowful  Son  as  they  met  the 
tearful,  loving  eyes  of  the  Sorrowful  Mother. 
The  next  day  was  the  festival  of  Corpus 
Chris ti,  and  I  had  the  privilege  of  saying 
Mass  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  usual  Mass 
said  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre  is  the  Mass  of  the 
Resurrection.  But  on  great  feasts  like  Corpus 
Christi  it  is  the  Mass  of  the  feast.  The  same 
is  true  of  Masses  said  on  many  other  altars  in 
the  Holy  Land.  At  the  altar  of  the  Seven  Dolors 
that  Mass  is  said,  and  at  the  altar  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion the  Mass  of  the  Passion ;  at  the  altar  of 
the  Manger,  in  Bethlehem,  it  is  the  Mass  of 
the  Nativity,  and  at  the  altar  in  Nazareth  the 
Mass  of  the  Annunciation.  Before  saying  Mass 
I  vested  in  a  crowded  corner  of  the  Chapel  of 
the  Angel.  The  chapel  was  packed  with  devout 
worshippers,  but  no  one  except  the  celebrant 
and  server  entered  the  small  chapel  of  the  Sep- 
ulchre. My  server  was  a  native  Arab  named 
Bulos  Meo — Bulos  means  Paul,\ 


136  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Nearly  all  of  the  Catholics  in  Palestine  are 
called  Arabians,  probably  descendants  of  the 
ancient  Chanaanites,  who  inhabited  the  country 
before  its  occupation  by  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  who  were  never  driven  out,  but  remained 
MS  slaves  to  the  Israelites.  A  number  of  devout 
native  women  received  Holy  Communion  at  my 
hand  at  the  door  leading  to  the  Sepulchre. 
Before  my  Mass  was  finished  the  Latin  Patri- 
arch of  Jerusalem  began  solemn  Pontifical  Mass 
at  an  altar  erected  outside  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
He  was  a  pale,  thin,  venerable,  although  young 
prelate,  who  wore  a  full  beard,  like  all  the 
priests  that  I  saw  in  the  East.\ 

As  two  of  our  number  wore  beards,  the  re- 
maining member  of  our  party  was  the  only 
shaven  priest  I  saw  in  the  Orient,  although  a 
number  of  French  and  Spanish  travellers  were 
among  them.  I  must  acknowledge  that  this 
ancient,  apostolic,  and  Christian  custom  very 
much  pleased  me.  Jerusalem  in  some  respects 
is  more  Roman  than  Rome  itself.  How  grand 
and  solemn  was  the  stately  Gregorian  chant 
accompanying  the  Mass  sung  by  the  patriarch ! 
Everything  was  Roman  to  the  most  minute  de- 
tail. They  have  in  Palestine  the  same  con- 
venient little  cruets  for  wine  and  water  for  the 
Mass  that  are  used  in  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  and 


and  the  Holy  Land.  137 


in  almost  all  Catholic  countries,  instead  of  the 
awkward  things  which  we  use  for  cruets  in  this 
country. 

I  had  wondered,  when  I  read  it  in  theology, 
that  there  was  opposition  in  some  countries  to 
the  use  of  a  little  spoon  to  measure  the  water 
poured  into  the  chalice.  But  when  I  saw  the 
Roman  cruets  I  ceased  to  wonder,  as  it  would 
be  of  no  use  when  water  could  be  poured  drop 
by  drop  from  a  cruet  without  danger  of  too 
much. 

When  the  priest  recites  the  prayers  after  Mass 
in  the  Holy  Land,  nearly  all  the  people  present 
answer  in  Latin,  and  accompany  him  in  the 
same  language  in  the  recitation  of  the  "  Salve 
Regina."  In  Palestine,  too,  Saturday  as  well 
as  Friday  is  a  day  of  abstinence,  the  same  as  in 
Italy.  \ 

After  the  Pontifical  Mass  a  procession  with 
the  Most  Holy  Sacrament  took  place  three  times 
around  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  boys,  who  are 
instructed  by  the  Franciscan  fathers,  were  al- 
most perfect  in  plain  chant,  which  to  me  was 
a  much  more  than  delightful  surprise.  The 
singers,  the  Franciscan  fathers  and  brothers, 
the  French  consul  and  a  few  other  European 
laymen,  a  number  of  native  Catholics,  and  boys 
with  large  baskets  of  most  beautiful  flowers 


138  A    Visit  to  Europe 

strewing  them  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
preceded  the  patriarch  carrying  the  Sacred  Host 
under  a  baldachin.  The  church  was  thronged 
with  native  Christians. 

In  succeeding  days  I  had  the  joy  of  saying 
Mass  four  times  on  Mount  Calvary :  twice  at 
the  altar  of  the  Seven  Dolors  and  twice  at  the 
altar  of  the  Crucifixion. 

Offering  up  the  Unbloody  Sacrifice  so  near 
where  Christ  died,  me  thinks  I  see  the  cross 
again  raised  on  high,  and,  looking  down  upon 
me,  the  bleeding,  sorrowful  face  of  the  Cruci- 
fied ;  and  I  seem  to  hear  that  dying  cry  of 
litter  desolation :  "  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?"  echoing  for  ever 
among  these  hills,  and  resounding  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  But  the  sweet  thought  consoles 
me  that  the  beautiful  garden  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion is  so  near  the  dread  Calvary  of  Death, 
and  the  bright  morning  of  Easter  so  soon  suc- 
ceeded the  dark  hours  of  the  Crucifixion.  \ 

I  gradually  became  accustomed  to  the  church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre ;  and  the  more  familiar 
it  became  the  more  real  did  the  scenes  once 
witnessed  there  seem.  Not  only  did  the  Sepul- 
chre of  Christ  and  Calvary  seem  holy,  but 
the  very  walls  and  pavements,  built  by  the 
hands  of  men,  seemed  to  have  become  partici- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  139 

pators  of  the  divine  holiness  of  those  sacred 
places. 

The  succeeding  days  were  happy  ones,  bright 
with  the  sunshine  of  God,  that  shines  on  the 
walls  and  sacred  temples  of  both  the  old  and 
new  Jerusalem.  As  early  as  we  might  start 
from  Casa  Nova,  we  found,  either  at  the  door 
or  on  the  way,  a  young  Christian  Arab  .ready 
to  serve  our  Mass.  The  fee  of  one  franc,  which 
we  usually  gave,  was  a  great  encouragement. 
One  morning  my  usual  server,  a  small  brother 
of  our  guide,  had  gone  with  one  of  my  com- 
panions ;  a  little  ragged  Arab  was  ready  to 
take  his  place.  He  accompanied  me  with  de- 
light ;  between  fear  and  expectation  he  held 
the  missal  while  I  vested  ;  and  his  eyes  sparkled 
and  his  face  beamed  with  joy  when  the  good 
Franciscan  brother  told  him  to  serve  me,  and 
on  the  way  to  the  altar,  as  we  met  another 
brother,  he  looked  at  him  with  a  look  of  tri- 
umph, which  the  brother  returned  with  a  good- 
natured  smile.  Thus  do  the  children  of  the 
poor  rejoice  at  what  seem  trifles  to  others,  and 
their  hearts  are  made  captive  by  a  smile  of 
friendship  or  an  act  of  kindness.  \ 

As  you  enter  the  square  space  in  front  of  the 
church,  you  are  met  with  numerous  smiles  and 
requests  from  the  proprietors  of  various  stands 


140  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  mats  to  buy  some  of  the  articles  of  devo- 
tion which  they  exhibit  for  sale.  They  have 
olive  wood  and  mother-of-pearl  worked  into  a 
great  variety  of  forms.  The  Greek  rosaries  are 
very  similar  to  the  Catholic  ones,  having  a  tas- 
sel at  the  end  instead  of  a  cross  or  medal. 
The  Mohammedans  likewise  use  a  string  of 
beads  in  their  devotions.  Beggars  are  always 
waiting,  and  stretch  out  their  hands  for  alms. 
Having  once  made  an  offering  to  two  or  three, 
I  was  instantly  surrounded  by  a  small  army 
of  them  from  every  adjacent  nook  and  corner. 
On  my  return  from  the  church  each  morning 
I  was  followed  by  two  little  boys  and  a  beauti- 
ful little  girl  about  eight  years  of  age,  with  the 
brightest  dark  eyes  and  rich,  wavy  hair,  who, 
every  few  rods,  would  seize  my  hand  and  kiss 
it,  and  give  me  a  look  of  deep,  earnest  sup- 
plication, yet  altogether  childlike.  \ 

I  have  sometimes  wondered  if  the  Divine 
Child  Jesus,  when  He  walked  these  streets  or 
prayed  in  the  temple,  did  not  leave  as  a  herit- 
age to  the  children  of  the  despised  Chanaanites 
this  look  of  sweet  simplicity  and  deep  earnest- 
ness mirrored  from  their  souls.  During  my 
few  weeks'  stay  I  became  greatly  attached  to 
these  poor  Christian  children  of  Palestine. 
Like  the  Divine  Child,  they  are  poor  in  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  141 

goods  of  this  world,  but  rich  in  the  love  and 
blessings  which  they  have  inherited  from  Jesus 
and  Mary.  I  usually  waited  until  near  Casa 
Nova  before  making  their  .hearts  glad  with  a 
piece  of  money,  for  fear  of  the  importunate 
crowd  that  would  otherwise  follow  me.  But 
they  knew  by  experience  that  they  would  get 
it  just  the  same.  / 

What  strange  and  interesting  sights  you  see 
on  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  !     The    odd  build- 
ings and  streets  hold  no  comparison  in  ancient 
form  and  variety  with   the  more  peculiar  cos- 
tumes and  people.     But  you   soon  get   to  feel 
at    home    in    the    midst  of    your    strange  sur- 
roundings.    No   one  seems  to  notice  what    any 
one  else  wears.     To  attempt  to  describe  the  dif- 
ferent modes  of  dress,  to  a  man   would  be  an 
endless  confusion  and  final  impossibility.     You 
meet  Catholic,  Greek,   Armenian,    Coptic,  Syr- 
ian,   and    Abyssinian   monks    in    their  various 
habits  ;  Turks,  Greeks,  Europeans,  Jews,  Egyp 
tians,  Nubians,  and  natives   of  different  races. 
Only  the  practised  eye  of  an  expert  can  distin- 
guish by  their  dress  to  what  particular  class 
they  belong,    and  I  seriously  doubt  if  he  can. 
The  guide-books  say  that  they  can  thus  be  dis- 
tinguished,  but    our    dragoman  in  Alexandria 
told  us  it  is  not  true,  but  that  every  man  dresses 


142  A    Visit  to  Europe 


according  to  his  particular  fancy  and  ability. 
A  person  long  accustomed  to  the  people  might 
distinguish  them,  but  any  one  else  would  make 
a  mistake  at  least  every  other  time.  / 

Many,  both  Christians  and  Mohammedans, 
wear  long  robes,  and  turbans  on  their  heads, 
some  black,  some  white  or  green,  blue  or  yel- 
low. Many  wear  the  red  fez  with  black  tassel, 
a  flowing  jacket  with  a  close  one  under,  and 
baggy  breeches,  or  else  a  large,  full  garment, 
fastened  at  the  waist,  reaching  half-way  from 
the  knees  to  the  ankles,  having  openings  for 
the  legs,  and  stockings  and  shoes  beneath. 
Some  wear  a  simple  white,  blue,  or  other  col- 
ored tunic,  both  cool  and  cheap,  and  nothing 
else  except  a  fez  or  turban.  The  Jews  are  al- 
ways easily  distinguishable,  having  mostly  col- 
ored gowns,  usually  a  cap,  which  is  sometimes 
fur,  on  their  heads,  and,  although  their  hair  is 
otherwise  short,  they  have  two  long  locks, 
sometimes  curled,  hanging  down  in  front  of 
their  ears.  But,  as  already  remarked,  pecu- 
liar dress  will  not  be  noticed  in  the  East,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  for  its  richness  and  beauty.  I 
have  my  doubts  if  even  an  Esquimau  from 
near  the  North  Pole,  dressed  in  his  eternal 
winter  dress  of  Arctic  furs,  would  attract  any 
vulgar  attention.  Yet  it  has  frequently  hap- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  143 


pened  in  our  best  American  cities  that  the 
"Young  American"  rabble  has  thrown  stones 
at  Oriental  Christian  men  in  their  own  cos- 
tumes. There  is  great  need  that  "Young  Ame- 
rica" should  be  made  at  least  half-civilized 
and  much  less  vulgar.  A  young  Englishman, 
who  had  always  lived  in  Palestine,  told  me 
that  he  believed  many  costumes  of  the  people 
had  not  changed  their  fashion  in  the  last  eight- 
een hundred  years.  \ 

The  Friday  after  Corpus  Christi  I  had  for- 
gotten my  breviary  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  I  had  not  yet  become  used  to  the 
streets,  and  soon  missed  my  way.  I  met  an 
Arabian  boy,  and,  not  being  able  to  speak  Ara- 
bic, addressed  him  in  Latin,  as  I  found  I  was 
more  frequently,  for  some  reason  I  cannot  ex- 
plain, partially  understood  in  that  language 
than  any  other.  I  asked  him  to  show  me  the 
church.  He  seemed  to  understand  perfectly, 
and  immediately  led  the  way.  Following  him 
for  some  time,  I  reached  the  conclusion  that 
he  had  mistaken  my  meaning.  It  dawned  on 
my  mind  that  it  was  Friday  and  he  was 
taking  me  to  the  Jews'  Wailing  Place.  Being 
very  anxious  to  visit  that  place,  I  was  well 
satisfied  with  the  mistake.  My  suspicions  were 
correct,  and  we  soon  arrived  on  the  scene  that 


144  A    Visit  to  Europe 

draws  sympathy  from  the  heart  of  every  man 
with  a  heart.  There  were  not  to  exceed  fifty 
persons  present,  of  every  age  and  both  sexes. 
They  were  all  evidently  of  the  Jewish  race.  A 
very  few  asked  and  received  alms.  Some  were 
sitting  in  silence,  and,  in  the  same  posture, 
others  were  praying.  Some  were  looking  around 
with  curiosity,  but  a  number  of  men  were 
standing  with  their  faces  to  the  wall,  with 
books  in  their  hands,  and  praying  with  great 
earnestness  in  a  sad  and  mournful  tone.  The 
wall  is  over  against  the  site  of  the  ancient 
temple,  an  inside  wall  that  surrounds  Mount 
Moria.  They  seemed  to  try  to  peer  through 
the  cracks  in  the  wall  as  they  mourned  over 
the  desolation  of  Sion  and  the  desecration  of 
the  Holy  of  Holies:  "Behold,  your  house  shall 
be  left  to  you  desolate.  >J\ 

The  wall  of  the  Wailing  Place  is  fifty-two 
yards  long  arid  fifty-six  feet  high.  Some  con- 
sider the  lower  courses  of  stones  in  this  wall, 
which  are  very  large,  as  very  ancient.  Some- 
times, towards  evening,  the  following  litany  is 
chanted : 

Leader.—  For  the  palace  that  lies  desolate  ; 
Response. — We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 
L. — For  the  palace  that  is  destroyed; 
R.— We  sit,  etc. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  145 


Li. — For  the  walls  that  are  overthrown; 

R.— We  sit,  etc. 

L. — For  our  majesty  that  is  departed  \ 

72.— We  sit,  etc. 

L.— For  our  great  men  who  lie  dead; 

.R.— We  sit,  etc. 

L.-  For  the  precious  stones  that  are  burned; 

R.—We  sit,  etc. 

L. — For  the  priests  who  have  stumbled; 

R.— We  sit,  etc. 

L. — For  our  kings  who  have  despised  Him; 

.R.— We  sit,  etc. 

Here  is  also  another  litany : 

Leader. — We  pray  Thee  have  mercy  on  Sion  t 

Response. — Gather  the  children  of  Jerusalem. 

L. — Haste,  haste,  Redeemer  of  Sion! 

R. — Speak  to  the  heart  of  Jerusalem. 

L. — May  beauty  and  majesty  surround  Sion. 

R.  —Ah!  turn  Thyself  mercifully  to  Jerusalem. 

L. — May  the  kingdom  soon  return  to  Sion! 

R. — Comfort  those  who  mourn  over  Jerusalem. 

L. — May  peace  and  joy  abide  with  Sion! 

R. — And  the  branch  (of  Jesse)  spring  up  at  Jerusalem. 

Near  the  Wailing  Place  of  the  Jews  is  the 
very  poor  quarter  of  the  Moghrebins,  who  are 
Moslems  from  the  northwest  of  Africa.^ 


146  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

CHAPTER  X. 

SOME  SACRED  PLACES  NEAR  JERUSALEM. 

\OciR  next  excursion  was  a  more  general  one 
of  the  whole  party.  Starting  from  Casa  Nova, 
early  in  the  afternoon,  might  have  been  seen 
my  companions  and  myself  with  our  guide, 
four  of  us  in  all,  dressed  for  very  warm  wea- 
ther and  astride  four  Jerusalem  donkeys.  It 
was  not,  however,  our  first  experience  in  don- 
key-riding, as  the  reader  knows.  The  donkey 
is  deservedly  a  great  favorite  in  the  East.  He 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  family,  and  always  at 
home  to  company.  He  seems  never  to  lose 
confidence,  impudence,  or  self-possession.  If 
any  one  ''buys  him  for  a  fool"  he  will  find 
that  be  has  made  a  grievous  mistake  and  has 
a  donkey  on  his  hands.  They  are  of  all  colors, 
white,  gray,  black,  and  mouse-colored,  and  of 
many  sizes.  The  Oriental  donkey  is  much 
more  intelligent  than  his  Occidental  brother.\ 
We  rode  past  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, down  the  Via  Dolorosa,  and  out  of  St. 
Stephen's  gate,  near  which  St.  Stephen  was 
stoned.  This  gate,  on  the  east  of  Jerusalem,  is 
also  called  both  the  gate  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 


and  the  Holy  Land.  147 

Mary  and  gate  of  Benjamin.  Our  road  led 
down  a  steep  declivity  into  the  valley  of  Josa- 
phat, or  Jehoshaphat.  Of  this  valley  the  pro- 
phet Joel -speaks:  "Let  them  arise,  and  let  the 
nations  come  up  into  the  valley  of  Josaphat  ; 
for  there  I  will  sit  to  judge  all  nations  round 
about."  "  Nations,  nations  in  the  valley  of 
destruction ;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  near 
in  the  valley  of  destruction.  The  sun  and  the 
moon  are  darkened,  and  the  stars  have  with- 
drawn their  shining.  And  the  Lord  shall  roar 
out  of  Sion  and  utter  His  voice  from  Jerusalem. 
And  you  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord  your  God  dwelling  in  Sion,  My  holy 
mountain."  Jews,  Christians,  and  Moslems  be- 
lieve that  this  valley  will  be  the  scene  of  the 
Last  Judgment.  It  is  filled  with  Jewish  and 
Mohammedan  tombs.  We  passed  over  the 
brook  Kedron ;  on  our  left,  up  the  valley, 
was  the  tomb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  on  pur 
right,  down  the  valley,  were  the  tombs  of  Absa- 
lom, the  ungrateful  son  of  David;  of  Josaphat, 
the  pious  king  of  Juda  ;  of  Zacharias,  who  was 
" slain  between  the  temple  and  the  altar";  and  ' 
the  tomb  of  St.  James  the  Less,  who  was  first 
Bishop  of  Jerusalem  and  a  cousin  of  our  Lord.\ 

When   the   terrible   events  of  the  Crucifixion 
were    taking   place,    the    Apostles,   weak    and 


148  A    Visit  to  Europe 

trembling,  fled  and  hid  themselves  in  caves 
and  tombs  near  the  city — u scattered  like  sheep 
when  the  shepherd  was  struck."  After  the 
Crucifixion  St.  James  the  Less  retired  to  a 
grotto  here,  and  ate  no  food  until  after  the  Re- 
surrection. He  ended  his  life  by  being  stoned, 
and  was  buried  at  or  near  the  place  where  he 
had  formerly  concealed  himself.  We  did  not 
go  nearer  these  tombs,  that  chiefly  attract  the 
attention  among  the  many  everywhere  visible. 
This  valley  was  first  called  the  Vale  of  Save, 
or  King's  Yale,  where  Melchisedech  offered 
bread  and  wine  as  he  met  Abraham  on  his 
return  from  battle.  \ 

We  hastened  on  to  the  Garden  of  Gethse- 
mani  and  Grotto  of  Agony  at  the  foot  of  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  We  first  entered  the  grotto. 
It  is  the  place  where  our  Lord  retired  a  ''lit- 
tle further  to  pray,"  and  where,  in  His  agony, 
the  drops  of  bloody  sweat  fell  down  upon  the 
ground.  These  are  the  same  rocks  wbich  saw 
that  scene  of  "sorrow  unto  death,"  and  re- 
ceived those  drops  of  the  Saviour' s  blood.  Oh ! 
if  they  had  voices  they  would  cry  out  in  an- 
guish, until  the  end  of  time,  with  cries  that 
would  fill  the  whole  earth  with  weeping  for 
the  spectacle  that  they  witnessed  on  that 
awful  night.  The  grotto  and  garden  are  in 


and  the  Holy  Land.  149 

the  possession  of  the  Franciscans.  The  Fran- 
ciscan in  charge  treated  us  very  4dndly  and 
gave  us  some  pieces  of  the  sacred  rock.  We 
then  went  to  the  garden :  "  Then  Jesus  came 
with  them  into  a  country  place  which  is  called 
.Gethsemani."  It  is  surrounded  by  a  wall,  and 
the  interior  again  by  a  high  but  sightly  fence. 
Among  about  fifty  olive-trees  in  the  garden 
are  eight  more  aged  and  venerable  than  the 
rest.  As  olive-trees  live  to  a  great  age,  and  as 
these  are  very  old  and  large,  some  of  them 
nineteen  feet  in  circumference,  the  claim  is 
considered  by  careful  writers  as  quite  probable 
that  some  of  the  oldest  date  from  the  time  of 
the  Passion.  The  monks  cultivate  a  fine  flower- 
garden  among  the  trees.  The  good  brother 
gave  us  pieces  of  branches  from  the  trees,  and 
a  package  of  dried  flower- seeds  to  be  planted 
in  our  distant  American  soil.  We  now  turned 
back  to  the  sepulchre  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
It  is  principally  in  the  hands  of  the  schismatic 
Armenians  and  Greeks.  Catholics  have  some- 
times had  the  privilege  of  singing  Mass  here 
on  the  festival  of  the  Assumption.^ 

As  an  instance  of  how  well  those  authors 
frequently  agree  who  try  to  be  critical  without 
regard  to  Christian  traditions,  we  have  in  this 
place  an  illustration.  Baedeker  says:  "It  is 


150  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ascertained,  however,  that  a  church  stood  over 
the  traditional  tomb  early  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury." The  American  Cyclopaedia  says:  "  Is 
the  traditional  tomb  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  first 
mentioned  in  the  eightli  century."  So  it  ap- 
pears that  the  American  Cyclopcedia  is  at  least 
three  hundred  years  behind  the  times  in  mat- 
ters of  critical  history.  You  descend  to  the 
tomb  by  long  flights  of  very  broad  marble 
stairs.  On  the  right,  going  down,  are  the 
tombs  of  St.  Ann  arid  St.  Joachim,  parents  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  on  the  left  is  the  tomb 
of  her  spouse,  St.  Joseph.  Still  farther  down 
is  the  vacant  tomb  of  our  Holy  Mother,  where 
her  pure, -precious  body  was  laid  until  it  was 
transplanted  into  heaven.  Next  to  the  Sepul- 
chre of  Christ,  the  sepulchre  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  is  the  tomb  dearest  to  the  Christian 
world.  We  passed  out  of  the  church,  and  up 
the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Nearly  three 
thousand  years  ago  King  David  went  over  this 
way  "  towards  the  way  that  looketh  to  the 
desert,"  and  up  this  mountain:  "But  David 
went  up  by  the  ascent  of  Mount  Olivet,  going 
up  and  weeping,  walking  barefoot,"  as  he  fled 
from  Jerusalem  and  his  unnatural  son  Absa- 
lom. How  many  times  did  our  Lord  with  His 
Apostles  and  Holy  Mother  pass  up  and  down 


and  the  Holy  Land.  i  5 1 


this  mountain- side  as  they  departed  from  or 
approached  Jerusalem !  Over  tlfis  mountain 
He  came  from  Bethany,  when  vast  numbers  of 
people  met  Him  and  cut  down  palm  branches 
and  strewed  them  in  the  way,  and  raised  the 
shout  "Hosanna!"  as  on  the  feast  of  taber- 
nacles; but  Jesus,  •"  seeing  the  city,  wept  over 
it."  We  soon  reached  the  summit,  the  plnco 
whence  Christ  ascended  into  heaven.  The  au- 
thors of  guide-books  and  works  on  travel,  and 
others  who  make  little  of  sacred  places  tra 
ditionally  held  as  such  by  Christians,  almost 
unanimously  reject  this  as  the  spot  of  the 
Ascension.  They  base  their  rejection  on  the 
passage  from  St.  Luke:  "And  He  led  them 
out  as  far  as  Bethany,  .  .  .  and  while 
He  blessed  them  He  departed  from  them,  and 
was  carried  up  to  heaven."  Baedeker,  Brad- 
shaw,  and  the  genial  author  of  Orient  Sun- 
beams hastily  conclude  that  He  must  have 
ascended  from  Bethany.  St.  Luke,  the  same 
inspired  author,  says  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles :  "Then  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  from 
the  mount  that  is  called  Olivet,  which  is  nigh 
Jerusalem,  within  a  Sabbath  day's  journey." 
This  agrees  with  the  summit  of  the  mount, 
which  is  about  one  mile  or  less,  or  a  Sabbath 
day's  journey,  from  the  city.\ 


152  A    Visit  io  Eiirope 

Bethany  is  about  two  miles,  or  two  Sabbath- 
days'  journey,  distant:  "  Now  Bethany  was 
near  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off" 
(St.  John  xi.  18). 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  in  Holy 
Scripture  events  frequently  follow  each  other 
in  narration  which  did  not  occur  in  the  same 
place.  The  account  given  by  St.  Mark,  too 
closely  followed,  would  indicate  that  the  Ascen- 
sion took  place  from  Jerusalem.  Besides  this 
explanation,  Tischendorf.  the  great  Protestant 
Biblical  critic,  considers  the  clause  in  St.  Luke, 
"  and  He  was  carried  up  to  heaven,"  a  very 
ancient  addition  to  the  original  text.  "The 
Codex  Sinaiticus,  Manuscript  D  of  Cambridge, 
five  Latin  documents,  together  with  St.  Augus- 
tine, are  against  the  genuineness  of  said  pas- 
sage." (Four  Gospels,  by  Archbishop  Heiss.) 
It  may  be  further  added  that  the  text  of  the 
Latin  Vulgate  does  not  necessarily  uphold  our 
English  translation,  "as  far  as  Bethany."  It 
reads:  "  Eduxit  autem  eos  for  as  in  Bethani- 
am"  which  can  be  correctly  translated:  "And 
He  led  them  out  towards  Bethany."  The 
Latin  word  "in,"  denoting  direction,  is  trans- 
lated either  "to"  or  "towards."  The  Mount 
of  Olives  is  towards  Bethany  from  Jerusalem. 
Thus  we  see  that  there  is  no  good  reason  for 


and  the  Holy  Land.  153 

rejecting  the  traditional  site  of  the  Ascension, 
handed  down  by  primitive  Christians  to  the 
days  of  St.  Jerome  and  St.  Augustine,  and 
indicated  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The 
readiness  with  which  it  is  done,  even  by  some 
of  the  more  intelligent  Protestant  authors, 
shows  how  little  dependence  can  be  placed  on 
the  hypercritical  and  superficial  speculations 
of  more  prejudiced  writers.  The  church  that 
stood  over  the  place  is  now  turned  into  a 
mosque,  in  which  Christians  have  the  privi- 
lege of  celebrating  Mass  on  certain  days  of 
the  year.  We  had  some  trouble  to  find  the 
custodian,  but  he  was  at  length  found,  as 
there  were  plenty  of  boys  ready,  if  necessary, 
to  search  every  building  on  the  mount  in 
hopes  of  backsheesh.  It  is  the  same  all  over 
Palestine:  assistance  is  always  at  hand.  A 
half-dozen  or  more  are  nearly  always  ready, 
if  you  have  only  the  appearance  of  wanting 
something.  / 

We  were  directly  shown  the  footprint  of 
our  Lord,  which  He  left  on  His  ascension 
into  heaven.  We  knelt  and  kissed  that  sacred 
impress  in  the  rock,  as  we  did  everywhere  in 
the  Holy  Land  not  only  the  footprints  but 
the  footsteps  of  Him  whose  divine  feet  upon 
the  mountains  brought  good  tidings,  peace, 


154  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

and  salvation  to  the  world.  We  retired  a 
little  farther  to  get  an  unobstructed  view  of 
the  surrounding  country.  To  the  west  the 
whole  city  of  Jerusalem  seemed  to  lie  under 
our  feet,  with  its  towers,  domes,  and  minarets ; 
and  its  great  eastern  wall  rose  grandly  out  of 
the  valley  of  Josaphat.  To  the  south  the 
heights  about  Bethlehem  were  visible;  while 
to  tha  east  a  farther  and  wider  range  of  vision 
was  presented — first  was  the  "wilderness  of 
Judea,"  which  is  a  wide  expanse  of  sterile, 
rocky  hills  and  mountains;  farther  on  was  the 
valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  at  its  southern  ex- 
tremity, lying  far  below  us,  was  the  Dead  Sea, 
shining  like  a  bright  blue  mirror  in  the  sun. 
Although  less  than  twenty  miles  distant,  it  is 
almost  four  thousand  feet  below  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  three  thousand  seven  hundred  feet 
below  the  level  of  Jerusalem.  Beyond  it  and 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan  were  seen  the  blue 
mountains  of  Moab  and  Ammon,  among  which 
is  Mount  Nebo,  from  whose  height  Moses  be- 
held the  Promised  Land.  To  the  north  of 
these  appeared  the  mountains  of  Gilead.  \ 

Whenever  afterwards  I  had  the  opportunity 
of  seeing  that  range  of  mountains  beyond  the 
Jordan,  my  eyes  seemed  riveted  to  them,  as  if 
at  every  instant  I  expected  to  see  emerge  from 


and  the  Holy  Land.  155 

among  them  the* vast  army  of  the  Israelites, 
coming  forth  from  their  forty  years'  wandering 
in  the  wilderness  to  take  possession  of  the  land 
of  their  forefathers. 

Not  far  from  here,  on  the  mount,  is  the 
place  where  Christ  taught  the  Lord's  Prayer 
to  His  disciples.  A  pious  French  princess  has 
built  a  convent  over  the  spot,  and  around  an 
interior  court  that  Divine  Prayer  is  inscribed 
on  tablets  in  thirty- one  different  languages. 
Near  by  is  the  place  where  the  Apostles  came 
together  and  composed  the  Apostles'  Creed. 
Perhaps  they  came  to  this  place  in  memory 
of  the  fact  that  here  they  had  learned  from 
their  Master's  lips  uhow  to  pray."  We  rode 
part  way  down  the  mountain,  and  then  turned 
on  the  road  to  Bethany.  On  the  way  ruins 
were  pointed  out  to  us  as  on  the  site  of  the 
ancient  village  of  Bethphage,  where  the  ass 
was  procured  on  which  Christ  rode  into  Jeru- 
salem. They  now  belong  to  the  Franciscans./ 

We  soon  reached  Bethany,  which  is  situated 
on  a  southeast  spur  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
The  Arabs  call  it  El  'Azariyeh,  from  Lazarus, 
or  Lazarium.  It  has  a  population  of  about  two 
hundred,  who  live  in  about  forty  miserable 
houses,  all  of  whom  are  Moslems,  except  the 
family  who  have  charge  of  the  tomb  of  Lazarus 


156  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 


and  the  house  of  Mary  and  JMartha.  I  cannot 
agree  with  those  writers  who  speak  so  dis- 
paragingly of  modern  Bethany.  The  village 
itself  has  few  attractions,  and  its  inhabitants 
seem  poor,  but  the  valleys  and  hillsides  imme- 
diately around  are  well  cultivated,  and  the  land- 
scape is  made  pleasant  by  groves  of  olive,  fig, 
almond,  and  carob  trees.  Before  I  had  seen 
that  lowly  village  on  the  borders  of  the  wilder- 
ness, outside  of  the  noise  and  care,  bustle  and 
business  of  Jerusalem,  my  mind  often  dwelt 
on  it  with  feelings  of  special  affection  ;  for  our 
Lord  loved  it  and  its  retirement.  Beautiful, 
peaceful  Bethany,  where  Jesus  found  a  home 
and  rest,  love  and  sympathy  !  And  the  human 
heart  of  Jesus  was  moved  by  human  love  and 
tenderness,  and  the  Gospel  tells  us:  "  Now 
Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister  Mary,  and 
Lazarus."  Who  would  not  wish  to  live  and 
die  in  a  place  so  dear  to  our  Lord  ?  Who  would 
not  love  a  habitation  and  solitude  in  a  place 
where  Jesus  loved  to  retire  from  the  busy  world  ? 
O  Bethany,  how  fair  thou  art  to  the  eyes  of 
the  soul !  How  dear  thou  art  to  him  who  loves 
his  earthly  home  and  desires  a  heavenly  one !  \ 
We  visited  or  passed  through  Bethany  three 
times.  On  this  occasion  we  visited  the  tomb 
of  Lazarus,  and  south  of  it  the  house  of  Mary 


and  the  Holy  Land.  157 

and  Martha.  They  are  not  in  a  very  good  con- 
dition, but  they  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the 
Catholics,  and  Mass  is  sometimes  celebrated 
here.  A  crowd  of  children  constantly  surround- 
ed us,  trying  to  sell  a  Bedouin  dagger,  "an- 
tique," or  trying  to  do  us  some  favor  for  back- 
sheesh.  As  it  was  growing  late  we  soon  returned 
to  Jerusalem,  wh^re  we  arrived  after  dark.  It 
is  not  pleasant  to  ride  in  the  dark  through  the 
rough-paved  but  slippery  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
as  your  beast  more  frequently  slips  and  stum- 
bles than  he  does  on  the  steep,  rocky  roads  of 
the  country./ 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    JEWISH     TEMPLE     ON     MOUNT     MORIA,     AND 
THE  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  ON  MOUNT  SIGN. 

OUR  next  visit  was  to  be  made  to  the  site  of 
Solomon's  Temple,  now  occupied  by  the  "  Dome 
of  the  Rock,"  or  Mosque  of  Omar.  The  sur- 
rounding courts,  enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  com- 
prise about  one- seventh  part  of  the  modern  city. 
This  was  the  ancient  Mount  Moria,  but  it  was 
so  closely  connected  with  Mount  Sion  that  it 
is  frequently  included  in  that  name  when  the 
praises  and  glory  of  Sion  are  sung  by  the  psalm- 


158  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ists  and  prophets.  At  one  of  the  western  gates, 
through  which  we  entered,  we  were  joined  by  a 
Turkish  military  official  from  the  Tower  of 
David,  near  the  Jaffa  gate,  dressed  in  a  very 
showy  uniform,  who  was  to  accompany  us  and 
pay  all  fees  and  manage  all  affairs  connected 
with  our  visit.  We  had  visited  the  alabaster 
mosque  of  Me  he  met  Ali  in  Cairo,  and  did  not 
want  a  similar  experience.  Very  few  mosques 
would  be  attractive  to  our  eyes  after  that  com- 
bined attack  on  our  pockets  and  good-nature. 
Although  the  Mosque  of  Omar  is  considered 
by  the  Moslems,  next  after  Mecca,  the  holiest 
arid  the  second  most  beautiful  in  the  world,  in 
all  probability  we  would  not  have  visited  it  if 
some  stronger  attraction  did  not  compel  us. 
Who  would  not  be  drawn  to  that  place  which 
was  once  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  even  though 
now  desolate  \  / 

I  will  not  attempt  a  description  of  the  Mo. 
bammed  an  surroundings  of  the  present  time, 
for  it  sickens  the  heart  to  think  that  this  place, 
the  holy  mountain  of  God  in  the  old  dispen- 
sation, and  in  Christian  times  reconsecrated 
to  divine  service — in  the  Old  Testament  the 
dwelling-place  of  the  God  of  Hosts,  and  in 
the  New  Testament  so  frequently  sanctified 
by  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God — is  now 


and  the  Holy  Laud.  159 

desecrated  by  the  occupation  of  the  infidel 
Moslem. 

At  the  door  of  the  mosque,  as  usual,  slippers 
were  put  on  over  our  shoes. 

Our  party  would  have  attracted  great  atten- 
tion anywhere  else  than  in  the  Orient :  the  ro- 
mantic looking  Turkish  officer,  our  gay- looking 
Arab  guide,  the  mosque  officials  and  attend- 
ants, and  ourselves  in  American  and  tourist 
styles  mixed,  very  much  out  of  style  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  with  huge  colored  slippers  on  our 
feet.  / 

In  the  midst  of  the  mosque  is  the  Holy  Rock, 
57  feet  long  and  43  feet  wide  and  about  6  feet 
high.  From  the  earliest  history  this  rock  must 
have  been  a  place  of  worship  and  altar  of  sacri- 
fice. It  is  probable  that  it  was  on  this  rock 
that  Abraham  was  about  to  offer  his  son  Isaac. 
It  is  believed  to  have  been  anointed  by  the 
patriarch  Jacob.  It  was  at  this  rock  that  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  stood  who  slew  the  people  of 
Israel  because  of  the  pride  of  David  in  number- 
ing his  people:  "  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
was  by  the  threshing-floor  of  Areuna  the  Jebu- 
site.  And  Gad  came  to  David  that  day,  arid 
said  :  Go  up,  and  build  an  altar  to  the  Lord  in 
the  threshing-floor  of  Areuna  the  Jebusite" 
(2  Kings  xxiv.)  Here  Solomon  afterwards  built 


160  A    Visit  to  Europe 


his  temple:  "And  Solomon  began  to  build  the 
house  of  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem,  in  Mount  Moria, 
which  had  been  shown  to  David  his  father, 
in  the  place  which  David  had  prepared  in  the 
threshing-floor  of  Oman  the  Jebusite"  (2  Par. 
iii.  1).  It  is  probable  that  this  rock  was  the 
place  of  the  Holy  of  Holies,  where  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant  rested,  although  some  claim  that  it 
was  the  great  altar  of  sacrifice.  Not  only  did 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  rest  here,  but  it  is 
said  that  it  was  hidden  under  the  rock  by  the 
prophet  Jeremias,  and  still  lies  buried  beneath ; 
but  the.  Ethiopians  believe  that  it  was  borne 
to  their  country,  where  it  is  yet  preserved.  Al- 
though Christians  take  advantage  of  the  privi- 
lege of  visiting  so  sacred  a  place,  the  Jews  will 
not  enter,  through  fear,  it  is  said,  of  the  sin  of 
treading  on  the  Holy  of  Holies.  Excavations 
are  ffbt  allowed  to  be  made,  and  therefore  much 
knowledge  of  the  place  must  continue  to  be 
hidden.  Not  a  "  stone  upon  a  stone"  remains 
of  the  magnificent  temple  that  once  stood  here. 
.The  temple  in  which  Christ  taught  and  prayed 
was  not  the  temple  of  Solomon.  Solomon's 
Temple  was  destroyed  by  Nabuchodonosor  four 
hundred  years  after  its  building,  and  six  hun- 
dred before  the  coming  of  Christ.  After  the  re- 
turn of  the  Jews  from  their  Babylonian  cap- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  161 

tivity  it  was  rebuilt  by  Zorobabel,  the  son  of 
Salathiel,  and  Josue,  the  son  of  Jose^lec.  This 
was  inferior  to  the  first  temple,  which  was  a 
source  of  great  sorrow  to  the  Jews.  Herod  there- 
fore determined  to  build  a  third  temple  more 
worthy  of  taking  the  place  of  the  first.  He 
employed  on  the  cloisters  and  temple  ten  thou- 
sand skilled  workmen  and  one  thousand  priests, 
whom  it  took  eight  years  to  build  the  cloisters, 
and  a  year  and  six  months  to  finish  the  temple. 
Yet  it  was  more  than  sixty  years  before  it  was 
wholly  completed.  The  temple  proper  was  sur- 
rounded by  great  cloisters  or  courts,  600  feet 
square,  made  from  the  richest  materials  and  by 
the  most  skilful  artisans.  The  outer  cloister 
was  the  court  of  the  Gentiles ;  the  second  clois- 
ter, into  which  under  pain  of  death  none  but 
Israelites  might  enter,  was  divided  into  an  outer 
court  for  the  women  and  an  inner  court  for  the 
men.  Into  the  third  cloister  none  but  priests 
were  permitted  to  enter.  Within  this  was  the 
temple  itself,  and  before  the  temple  was  the 
great  altar  of  sacrifice.  Within  the  temple  was 
the  sanctuary  or  holy  place,  and  farther  in  the 
background,  in  a  deeper  recess,  was  the  Holy 
of  Holies.  From  this  we  see  that  the  courts 
of  the  Lord  have  become  more  glorious  than 
His  inner  temple,  for  "  He  has  glorified  the  place 


162  A    Visit  to  Europe 

of  His  feet,"  "and  all  that  slandered  Thee  shall 
worship  the  steps  of  Thy  feet,  and  shall  call  the 
city  of  the  Lord  the  Sion  of  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.?'  With  memories  and  reflections  like 
these  we  wandered  around  the  courts  and  within 
the  sanctuary  of  God's  ancient  temple  ;  and  in 
that  reverent  spirit  with  which  men  walk  on  holy 
ground,  our  eyes  were  closed  to  the  present, 
and  we  seemed  to  see  the  Holy  Family,  St. 
Joseph,  the  Mother  Mary,  and  the  Divine  Child 
Jesus,  accompanied  by  the  holy  priest  Simeon, 
coming  up  the  steps  of  the  courts  of  the  temple. 
On  our  way  to  the  church  of  the  Presentation 
of  Mary,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  grounds, 
now  the  mosque  of  El-Aksa,  we  had  pointed 
out  to  us  the  judgment-seat  of  David,  and 
where  Solomon  prayed  at  the  dedication  of  the 
temple,  and  many  other  interesting  places.  The 
mosque  of  El-Aksa  was  originally  built  by 
the  Emperor  Justinian  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  In  this  part  of  the  temple  grounds 
tradition  states  that  the  Holy  Family  remained 
some  days  in  a  dwelling  occupied  by  the  holy 
priest  Simeon.  On  the  east  is  the  beautiful 
Golden  Gate  through  which  Christ  came  in  His 
triumphal  entry,  which  is  celebrated  by  the 
Church  on  Palm  Sunday.  During  the  time  of 
the  Crusaders,  on  Palm  Sunday  the  patriarch 


and  the  Holy  Land.  163 

rode  through  it  on  an  ass  in  grand  procession 
from  the  Mount  of  Olives.  It  is  now  walled 
up,  because  the  Moslems  have  a  tradition  that 
on  some  Friday  a  Christian  conqueror  will  enter 
this  gate  and  retake  Jerusalem.  May  God 
hasten  the  day  ! 

After  visiting  El-Aksa  we  went  out  and  looked 
over  the  walls  to  the  south.  Across  the  deep 
valley,  on  the  other  side,  is  the  village  of  Si- 
loam,  on  the  declivity  of  the  Mountain  of  Of- 
fence, said  to  be  the  site  of  Solomon's  idola- 
trous sacrifices.  The  inhabitants  are  all  Mos- 
lems and  noted  for  their  thievish  propensities. 
The  caves  which  serve  as  dwellings  for  many  of 
them  were  formerly  inhabited  by  hermits.  But 
we  had  other  places  to  visit  and  could  not  de- 
lay. We  soon  found  ourselves  outside  the  tem- 
ple walls,  where  our  gallant  Turk  left  us.  / 

Mounted  on  donkeys,  with  a  donkey-boy  run- 
ning behind  with  a  rod  to  make  them  more 
lively,  we  followed  the  leadership  of  our  Arab 
guide.  We  first  went  to  the  Jews'  Wailing 
Place,  which  my  companions  had  not  yet  seen. 
Soon  after  we  dismounted  and  entered  one  of 
the  chief  synagogues  of  the  Jews.  It  was  Sat- 
urday, but  there  was  a  great  difference  in  the 
devotion  manifested  here  and  at  the  place  we 
had  just  left.  We  did  not  long  delay,  for  our 


164  A    Visit  to  Europe 

way  was  over  to  Mount  Sion.  We  passed  out  of 
the  gate  of  Sion,  for  the  objects  and  sanctuaries 
of  greatest  interest  are  now  outside  the  walls. 
When  one  tries  to  compare  the  sacred  places  as 
to  relative  importance  and  sacredness,  he  finds 
himself  at  a  loss  to  decide  between  them,  and 
is  happy  in  the  thought  that  it  is  not  necessary. 
What  place  can  be  more  holy  than  the  one  we 
were  about  to  visit  ?  The  Ccenaculum  of  our 
Lord  is  now  a  Mohammedan  mosque.  It  lies 
in  the  midst  of  a  cluster  of  buildings  called  by 
the  natives  "  Prophet  David."  We  were  readi- 
ly admitted  by  the  Moslem  custodian,  and  as 
cended  into  the  "large  upper  room"  where  our 
Lord  ate  the  Last  Supper  with  His  Apostles. 
This  is  the  place  spoken  of  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures :  "  But  David  took  the  castle  of  Sion,  the 
same  is  the  city  of  David."  Here  was  his  royal 
palace,  and  here  he  prepared  his  tomb  where 
he  was  buried.  The  tombs  of  David  and  Solo- 
mon are  in  the  east  part  of  the  building,  at  the 
end  of  the  Coenaculum.  It  is  quite  certain,  ac- 
cording to  ancient  authors,  that  this  building 
escaped  destruction  when  Titus  took  and  de- 
stroyed Jerusalem.  The  Mohammedans  have  a 
superstitious  dread  of  entering  the  tomb  of 
David.  Our  guide  told  us  it  was  believed  that 
one  who  entered  it  would  immediately  die  It 


and  the  Holy  Land.  165 

is  related  by  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  a  Jewish  rabbi 
who  travelled  extensively  in  the  East  in  the 
twelfth  century,  that  when  two  workmen  once 
raised  a  stone  that  revealed  the  mouth  of  a  cav- 
ern, they  entered  and  found  two  grand,  palace- 
like  tombs,  ornamented  with  marble,  gold,  and 
silver,  and  crowns  and  sceptres  were  lying  on 
tables.  They  saw  also  other  tombs  of  the  royal 
house  and  family  of  David.  On  trying  to  enter 
they  were  repulsed  by  a  whirlwind,  and  a  voice 
was  heard  saying :  ' '  Arise,  and  go  from  this 
place."  This  wonder  was  related  before  a  learn- 
ed Jew,  who  said  it  "was  the  burial-place  of 
the  house  of  David,  prepared  for  the  kings  of 
Juda."  Josephus  writes  that  it  is  stated  that 
when  Herod  attempted  to  enter  David's  tomb 
"two  of  the  guards  were  slain  by  a  flame  that 
burst*  out  on  those  that  went  in."  As  we  stood 
there  in  that  plain,  uncared-for,  unornamented 
room,  we  said  within  ourselves:  Is  it  possible 
that  this  is  the  actual  room  in  which  the  Holy 
Eucharist  was  instituted  by  the  Son  of  God, 
and  which  witnessed  the  wonders  of  Pentecost? 
What  mysteries  of  divine  love  and  power  have 
been  accomplished  in  this  place  !  Bead  the  first 
and  second  chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  it  will  appear  plainly  that  there  was  one 
u  large  upper  room,"  called  in  the  Latin  Vulgate 


1 66  A    Visit  to  Ezirope 

"  Ccenaculum,"  a  word  having  different  mean- 
ings, but  in  this  case  evidently  applied  to  the 
same  place,  which  was  the  common  sanctuary 
of  holy  life,  prayer,  and  mystery  ;  which  Christ 
sanctified  by  His  great  mystery  of  love,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  made  glorious  by  the  manifestation 
of  His  divine  power  and  the  communication  of 
His  divine  gifts  ;  where  earth  and  heaven  seem- 
ed to  meet  and  commingle  ;  where  those  who 
were  yet  among  mortals  raised  their  hands  and 
touched  the  heavens,  and  where  the  glorified 
yet  loved  to  linger  ;  so  that  men  could  then  and 
even  now  exclaim  :  "  How  terrible  is  this  place  ! 
This  is  no  other  but  the  house  of  God  and  the 
gate  of  heaven."/ 

To  summarize  the  events  of  this  place:  Here 
David  and  Solomon  lived  ;  here  do  their  bodies 
rest.  Here  our  Lord  instituted  the  Holy  Eucha- 
rist, and  here,  after  His  resurrection,  He  ap- 
peared to  His  Apostles  and  instituted  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance  as  He  breathed  on  them  and 
said:  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost ";  here  also 
the  doubting  Thomas  was  led  to  exclaim  :  "My 
Lord  and  my  God  !  "  Here  the  Holy  Ghost  de- 
scended. Here  Matthias  was  chosen  by  lot  to 
take  the  bishopric  of  Judas  ;  here  St.  James  the 
Less  was  made  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  Here  the 
Apostles  dispersed  to  go  forth  to  fulfil  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  167 

divine  commission  to  teach  the  nations  of  the 
earth  ;  here  they  assembled  in  the  Council  of 
Jerusalem.  Here  the  seven  deacons  were  cho- 
sen, and  among  them  St.  Stephen,  the  first  Chris- 
tian martyr  ;  and  here  his  body  was  brought 
alter  his  death.  And  this  was  the  home  of  St. 
John  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  after  our  Lord's 
Ascension,  where  St.  John  celebrated  Mass  in 
her  presence.  Here  the  Blessed  Virgin  died, 
and  was  borne  from  here  for  burial.  This  was 
the  first  Christian  church.  It  is  now  a  Moslem 
mosque,  but  Mass  is  yet  offered  in  this  ho]y 
place  on  Holy  Thursday.  The  Franciscan  su- 
perior is  yet  styled  "Guardian  of  Mount  Sion." 
"Arise,  arise,  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Sion  !  put 
on  the  garments  of  thy  glory,  O  Jerusalem,  the 
city  of  the  Holy  One  !  Shake  thyself  from  the 
dust,  arise,  sit  up,  O  Jerusalem  !  loose  the  bonds 
from  off  thy  neck,  O  captive  daughter  of  Sion  ! "/ 
From  the  Coenaculum  we  went  to  the  Arme- 
nian monastery  of  Mount  Sion.  It  is  situated 
on  the  site  of  the  house  of  Caiphas,  the  high- 
priest,  where  Christ  was  led  and  where  Peter 
denied  his  Lord.  The  prison  of  Christ  is  shown, 
and  the  stone  which  was  placed  against  the  door 
of  the  sepulchre.  We  then  rode  out  through  a 
cemetery,  and  to  the  very  brow  of  Mount  Sion 
toward  the  south.  We  looked  away  to  the 


i68  A    Visit  to  Europe 

south  while  the  dearest  memories  filled  our 
minds,  because  in  that  direction,  only  six  miles 
distant,  lies  Bethlehem.  How  often  King  Da- 
vid, from  his  palace  on  Mount  Sion,  must  have 
looked  in  the  same  direction  ;  for  Bethlehem  was 
his  native  place,  and  there  he  was  anointed  king. 
Mount  Sion  was  the  home  of  his  manhood  and 
greatness,  of  his  wives,  sons,  and  daughters  ; 
Bethlehem  was  the  home  of  his  childhood  and 
simplicity,  of  his  father  and  mother.  Which 
do  you  think  was  dearer  to  him  ?  I  cannot 
decide,  but  I  must  cry  out :  O  happy  man 
whose  eyes  in  his  mature  and  declining  years 
can  rest,  as  his  could,  upon  the  home  of  his 
birth  and  the  scenes  of  his  youth !  Our  Lord 
likewise  looked  out  from  this  hill  towards  Beth- 
lehem ;  and  the  eyes  of  the  Blessed  Mother  also 
wandered  over  those  southern  hills  as  she  re- 
membered that  dark  and  dismal  stable  and  that 
cruel  night.  Wandering  among  the  tombstones 
scattered  over  the  hill  were  several  black  eccle- 
siastics from  Abyssinia,  like  ourselves  quietly 
enjoying  the  scene.  How  frequently  does  it 
occur  that  on  these  holy  hills  Europe,  Asia,  Af- 
rica, and  America  are  represented,  drawn  from 
the  corners  of  the  earth  by  a  fact  which  seems 
so  simple  and  is  so  powerful,  that  One  who  was 
spoken  of  as  the  "carpenter's  Son"  here  lived 


and  the  Holy  Land.  169 


a  brief  life  in  poverty,  and  here  died  an  igno- 
minious death  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago  ! 
After  we  had  sufficiently  dwelt  on  the  scene 
with  mind  and  eye  we  turned  homeward,  around 
the  southern  and  western  wall,  through  the  val- 
ley of  Hinnom,  or  "valley  of  the  son  of  En- 
nom,"  i.e.,  "valley  of  the  children  of  groan- 
ing," called  also  Topheth  and  Gehenna — used 
in  Scripture  to  designate  the  hell  of  the  damn- 
ed— because  in  this  valley  children  were  sacri- 
ficed to  the  idol  Moloch.  Across,  on  the  south- 
ern side  of  the  valley,  are  the  Field  of  Blood 
and  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel,  where  the  death 
of  our  Lord  was  plotted  in  the  country- house 
of  Caiphas.  On  the  hill  is  the  "  tree  on  which 
Judas  hanged  himself."  It  is  a  solitary  tree, 
with  none  others  near  it,  and  can  be  seen  from 
every  direction.  It  seems  to  me  quite  probable 
that  this  one  is  a  growth  from  the  actual  tree. 
I  have  said  above,  "homeward,"  for  Casa  Nova 
seemed  like  home.  We  were  always  welcomed 
back  with  a  friendly,  cordial  welcome  by  those 
whose  faces  had  become  familiar.  I  can  never 
say  enough  in  praise  of  the  Franciscans  of  Pal- 
estine, nor  admire  sufficiently  their  humility, 
labors,  self-sacrifice,  and  genuine  Christian  hos- 
pitality. Their  beds  and  rooms  were  clean  and 
neat,  their  food  good  enough  and  served  with 


1 70  A    Visit  to  Europe 

care  and  politeness.  They  were  ever  ready  to 
yield  their  own  convenience  to  the  desires  of 
the  pilgrim-priest,  especially  in  the  matter  of 
saying  Mass  at  the  first  opportunity  on  those 
altars  where  only  two  Masses  can  be  celebrated 
each  day.  Next  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  their  sonls,  the  welfare  and  plea- 
sure of  Christian  pilgrims  seem  to  be  the  chief 
aim  of  their  lives./ 

There  are  not  a  great  number  of  visitors  In 
Palestine  in  the  month  of  June,  so  we  soon  got 
acquainted  with  the  pleasant  faces  daily  around 
the  pilgrims'  table.  Some  remained  a  part  of 
the  time  and  others  all  the  time  of  our  stay. 
Among  them  were  two  Jesuit  fathers  from  their 
college  in  Beirout,  a  priest  from  France,  another 
from  Spain,  and  about  a  dozen  sisters  from 
France,  going  to  Nazareth  to  establish  a  house. 
With  them  was  their  chaplain,  a  fine  old  Capu- 
chin father,  who  had  been  a  missionary  in  the 
East  Indies.  The  pleasant,  friendly  superior  of 
Casa  Nova  usually  spent  a  part  of  the  time  with 
us  at  both  dinner  and  supper,  and  seemed  espe- 
cially to  enjoy  the  conversation  with  his  Ameri- 
can friends.  Perhaps  we  are  naturally  inclined 
to  be  interested  in  what  is  or  comes  from  very 
far  away  in  distance. \ 

The  Patriarch   of   Jerusalem   has  a  new  and 


and  the  Holy  Land.  1 7 1 

beautiful  church,  where  we  went  on  the  after- 
noon of  Corpus  Chris ti.  There  was  4to  be  a 
grand  procession  in  honor  of  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrament.  A  large  number  of  priests,  some  of 
them  of  Oriental  rites,  were  in  the  sanctuary. 
There  must  have  been  fully  two  thousand  per- 
sons present,  which  convinced  me  that  it  is  quite 
probable  that  the  Catholic  population  of  Jeru- 
salem is  even  greater  than  claimed.  When  a 
very  large  procession  was  outside,  the  church 
was  nearly  filled  with  women.  The  procession 
was  like  all  similar  ones,  but  those  who  appear- 
ed in  it  were  quite  different  from  those  who  take 
part  in  more  western  lands.  The  patriarch  and 
numerous  clergy  presented  a  very  venerable  and 
Oriental  appearance  ;  while  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  describe  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  long- 
line  and  surrounding  throng  of  dark-complex- 
ioned Syrian  Christians  of  all  classes  in  their 
strange  and  graceful  varieties  of  dress.  I  was 
pleased  to  see  pews  in  the  patriarchal  church  ; 
for,  whatever  may  be  said  of  them,  they  conduce 
to^good  order  and  respectful  devotion,  and  are 
usually  accompanied  with  the  Christian  instruc- 
tion of  the  people,  as  we  saw  by  a  comparison 
of  the  different  countries  of  Europe.  Where 
chairs  are  stationary  with  kneeling  stools  they 
answer  the  same  purpose  as  pews,  Of  course 


172  A    Visit  to  Europe 

there  are  churches — like  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
and  St.  Peter's,  Rome  —  where  they  would  be 
out  of  place.  \ 


CHAPTER  XII. 

BETHLEHEM. 

WE  had  now  seen  the  chief  places  of  interest 
in  Jerusalem  ;  it  was  time  to  visit  those  farther 
away.  I  will  proceed  in  the  order  of  visitation. 

Bethlehem  naturally  comes  first.  It  is  only 
six  miles  away  to  the  south.  There  is  a  so- 
called  carriage-road  reaching  there,  but  we  pre- 
ferred our  favorites.  We  took  our  guide  with 
us.  Although  not  necessary,  his  company  was 
useful.  It  is  always  understood  that  a  donkey- 
boy  runs  behind  to  urge  on  the  donkeys  and 
take  care  of  them.  The  ride  to  Bethlehem  was 
a  very  pleasant  one.  The  afternoon  was  fine, 
and  a  large  number  of  people,  walking  and  rid- 
ing, were  constantly  passing  in  both  directions 
over  the  road:  natives  on  foot,  and  riding  on 
donkeys  or  horses ;  others  driving  or  leading 
long  lines  of  heavily  laden  camels,  such  as  you 
meet  on  almost  every  road  in  Palestine  ;  Greek 
and  Armenian  priests  and  monks,  and  once  in  a 


and  the  Holy  Land.  173 

while  the  brown-robed  sons  of  St.  Francis,  two 
by  two,  on  foot,  like  the  Apostles  of  £>ld.  Hav- 
ing passed  out  of  the  Jaffa  gate,  and  down  and 
across  the  valley  of  Ennom,  we  left  the  hill 
of  Evil  Counsel  and  the  tree  of  Judas  on  our 
left,  and  the  new  German  temple  colony  on 
our  right,  frequently  looking  back  to  get  new 
glimpses  and  views  of  the  city,  walls,  and  sur- 
roundings of  Jerusalem.  From  the  east  and 
southwest  the  "Daughter  of  Sion"  appears  to 
advantage,  "sitting. in  silence"  in  the  midst  of 
the  "everlasting  hills."  We  were  now  in  the 
valley  of  Raphalm,  the  plain  where  David  over- 
came the  Philistines  in  battle.  This  plain  de- 
scends towards  the  southwest  to  the  Valley  of 
Roses.  To  the  right  is  shown  the  house  of  holy 
Simeon,  and  still  farther  on  is  the  "Well  of 
the  Wise  Men  from  the  East,"  where  the  star 
again  appeared  to  them  as  they  "went  their 
way"  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem.  We  then 
ascended  a  hill,  near  the  summit  of  which  is  a 
schismatic  Greek  monastery,  where  they  show 
the  impress  of  a  man  in  the  rock,  where  they 
say  the  prophet  Elias  slept  when  he  was  flee- 
ing from  the  impious  Jezabel.  I  do  not  pre- 
tend even  to  mention  one-fourth  of  the  places 
pointed  out  as  scenes  of  historic  events  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments;  it  would  be  impos- 


1 74  A    Visit  to  Europe 


sible,  for  Palestine  is  a  land  of  small  extent, 
and  the  time  from  Abraham  to  Christ  covers 
a  period  of  nearly  two  thousand  years.  Too 
many  things  confuse.  I  try,  therefore,  to  bring 
out  only  those  landmarks  of  sacred  history 
which  are  especially  prominent  to  the  physical, 
intellectual,  or  spiritual  eye.  Here  is  a  view 
that  I  could  spend  a  lifetime  beholding  with 
the  eyes  of  the  senses  and  the  eyes  of  the 
soul.  To  the  south  lies  Bethlehem,  to  the 
northeast  Jerusalem,  both  in  full  view— the 
birthplace  and  the  burial  ground  of  kings, 
where  kings  have  been  anointed,  and  where 
they  have  been  crowned,  and  where  they  have 
laid  aside  their  crowns  and  sceptres:  the  royal 
David  and  the  royal  Son  of  Mary,  of  the  house 
and  family  of  David.  The  sceptre  of  the  one 
was  powerful  and  his  crown  glorious,  but  they 
rust  in  the  tomb ;  the  sceptre  of  the  other  was 
the  reed  of  scorn,  His  crown  the  crown  of 
thorns,  but  they  are  for  ever  enthroned  on 
high.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight  which  I  shall 
never  forget,  the  first  sight  of  Bethlehem,  still 
beholding  that  other  city  which,  as  in  olden 
times,  is  now  the  city  of  the  "  vision  of  peace."  \ 
A  monk  told  me  that  Jerusalem  seemed  a 
city  of  sorrow  and  Bethlehem  a  village  of  joy. 
It  does  not  seem  to  me,  however,  that  the  city 


and  the  Holy  Land.  \  75 

is  altogether  sorrowful  that  possesses  the  Ccena- 
culum,  and  where  the  Resurrection  arid  Ascen- 
sion took  place.  To  the  north,  beyond  Jeru- 
salem, rose  Neby  Samwil.  and  to  the  east  the 
mountains  beyond  the  Jordan.) 

The  country,  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem, 
is  tolerably  well  cultivated,  and  around  Bethle- 
hem seems  quite  fertile.  To  the  right  is  the 
residence  of  the  schismatic  Greek  patriarch, 
and,  farther  on  to  the  right,  Beit  Jala,  the 
beautiful  residence  and  seminary  of  the  Ca- 
tholic patriarch,  surrounded  by  vineyards  and 
olive  groves.  Nearly  a  mile  before  we  reach- 
ed Bethlehem  we  came  to  the  tomb  of  Rachel. 
The  love  of  Jacob  for  Rachel  furnishes  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  stories  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. Jacob  himself  thus  relates  her  death: 
"Rachel  died  from  me  in  the  land  of  Chanaan 
in  the  very  journey,  and  it  was  spring-time ; 
and  I  was  going  to  Ephrata,  which  by  another 
name  is  called  Bethlehem."  Her  tomb  is  rev- 
erenced by  Christians,  Jews,  and  Mohamme- 
dans. It  is  now  about  3,600  years  old.  Near 
here  a  road  branches  off  to  the  Pools  of  Solo- 
mon, from  which,  by  means  of  aqueducts,  wa- 
ter was  formerly  supplied  to  Jerusalem.  To 
the  left  we  saw  the  hills  where  the  shepherds 
were  "  keeping  the  night-watches  over  their 


76  A    Visit  to  Europe 


flocks,"  and  heard  the  angelic  song  of  great 
joy:  " Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will." 

It  is  just  such  a  picturesque  spot  as  where 
they  might  be  expected  to  guard  their  flocks 
during  the  night,  neither  high  up  on  the  hills 
nor  yet  in  the  valley.\ 

At  the  present  time  there  is  a  church,  belong- 
ing to  the  Greeks,  over  the  place  where  the  an- 
gels appeared.  Not  far  distant,  on  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  is  the  village  where  the  shep- 
herds lived,  and  which  is  now  occupied  by 
about  fifty  families  of  Greek  and  Catholic 
Arabs.  Even  to  this  day  the  dwellers  in  this 
rural  abode  partake  much  of  that  simplicity 
which  characterized  the  humble  shepherds  who 
adored  the  Infant  Jesus  in  Bethlehem.  And  as 
in  olden  times,  so  now  they  go  over  to  Bethle- 
hem, and,  going  down  into  the  Grotto  of  the 
Nativity,  they  kneel  and  adore  Him  who  was 
once  an  infant  there. 

We  soon  arrived  in  Bethlehem,  which  is 
situated  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  overlooking  a 
deep  valley,  and  in  the  distance  presents  a 
pleasing  appearance.  It  is  surrounded  by  a 
verdant,  well-cultivated,  and  fruitful  country. 
The  name  signifies  ' '  house  of  bread. "  \ 

At    the    present     time   it    is    an  enterprising 


and  the  Holy  Land,  177 

village,  manifesting  a  better  growth  and  more 
healthy  life  than  any  other  town  '"that  I  saw 
in  Palestine.  Along  the  street  through  which 
we  entered  the  village  a  goodly  number  of 
fine  hewn  stone  buildings  were  being  erected. 
Bethlehem  has  a  population  of  about  5,000. 
Of  these  3,000  are  Catholics,  1,500  schismatic 
Greeks,  and  500  others.  They  are  for  the 
most  part  a  prosperous  people,  possessing  some 
of  the  best  characteristics  of  a  Christian  com- 
munity. It  is  a  very  ancient  town,  arid  pos- 
sessed of  great  historical  importance.  We 
know  that  it  was  already  in  existence  more 
than  seventeen  centuries  before  the  coming  of 
Christ.  Bethlehem  was  the  scene  of  the  charm- 
ing story  of  the  book  of  Ruth,  who  gleaned 
wheat  after  the  reapers  in  the  field  of  Booz, 
whom  she  afterwards  married,  and  from  whom 
the  family  of  David  was  descended.  It  is  distin- 
guished as  the  birth-place  of  David,  but  far 
more  as  the  birth-place  of  our  Saviour,  where, 
nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  shepherds 
and  kings  knelt  on  a  common  level  and 
adored  the  King  of  kings.  "  And  thou, 
Bethlehem  Ephrata,  art  a  little  one  among 
the  thousands  of  Juda  :  out  of  thee  shall  He 
come  forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  the  Ruler 
in  Israel ;  and  His  going  forth  is  from  the  be- 


178  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

ginning,  from  the  days  of  eternity.'5  Wherever 
in  the  whole  world  the  joys  of  Christmas  day 
are  known,  the  bills  and  plains,  the  houses 
and  people  of  Bethlehem,  and  the  scenes  and 
events  of  the  Divine  Nativity  and  of  the  suc- 
ceeding days,  have  been  a  hundred  and  a 
thousand  times  pictured.  It  is  enough ;  in 
Bethlehem  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of 
Mary  was  born.  And  the  thought  keeps  run- 
ning in  my  mind :  Is  Bethlehem  or  Nazareth 
dearer  to  me?  If,  after  our  Lord's  birth,  He 
had  lived  in  Bethlehem  until  His  ninth  or 
tenth  year,  all  doubt  would  disappear.  Beth- 
lehem was  the  place  of  His  birth,  which  wit- 
nessed the  mutual  love  of  Mother  and  Son 
the  first  time  that  they  looked  into  the  depths 
of  each  other's  eyes  ;  but  Nazareth  was  His 
home,  and  home,  to  the  human  heart,  is 
next  to  heaven.  And  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus  loved  His  home,  for  it  was  the  sanctu- 
ary of  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary.  That 
home  was  the  Holy  House  of  the  Holy  Fami- 
ly, which  they  yet  love  on  earth,  even  though 
they  dwell  in  the  heavenly  mansion  of  the 
Eternal  Father.  And  I  believe,  if  it  were  pos- 
sible to  be  home-sick  in  heaven,  that  the 
Holy  Family  would  be  home-sick  for  the  Holy 
House  of  Nazareth.  Home  and  family  are  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  179 

foundations  of  society,  planted  by  the  fiat  of 
God  in  nature,  and  cemented  and  consecrated 
by  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph  in  the  love  and 
miraculous  care  and  preservation  of  the  Holy 
House  of  Loreto. 

Such  thoughts  must  enter  the  mind  of  any 
Christian  who  passes  through  the  streets  of 
the  sacred  towns  of  Palestine.  We  soon  ar- 
rived at  the  portals  of  the  great  monastery 
and  church  built  over  the  Grotto  of  the  Na- 
tivity. As  ever,  we  were  kindly  welcomed  by 
the  monks.  The  monastery  at  Bethlehem,  in 
parts  at  least,  is  a  little  more  richly  fur- 
nished than  others  in  the  Holy  Land ;  the 
wine  also  is  better.  But  the  kindness  and 
hospitality  shown  the  pilgrim  are  the  same 
in  all.\ 

Soon  after  our  arrival  we  went  to  visit  the 
grotto.  It  may  be  entered  from  different  di- 
rections, and  one  not  used  to  the  entrance  or 
exit  is  liable  to  lose  his  way.  The  crypt 
which  served  as  a  stable  is  about  forty  feet 
long,  twelve  feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  high.  At 
the  east  end  is  the  Altar  of  the  Nativity,  and 
under  it  is  a  silver  star  with  an  inscription 
round  about:  "  Hie  de  Virgine  Maria  Jesus 
CTiristus  natus  est"— "Here  Jesus  Christ  was 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary."  As  in  all  similar 


8o  A    Visit  to  Europe 


holy  places,  a  large  number  of  lamps,  belong- 
ing usually  to  the  Catholics,  Greeks,  and  Arme- 
nians, are  always  burning  before  the  different 
altars.  A  few  paces  distant  from  the  spot  of 
the  Nativity  are  the  Chapel  of  the  Manger 
and  Altar  of  the  Wise  Men,  which  are  the 
places  where  the  Infant  Jesus  was  laid  in  the 
manger  and  where  the  wise  men  adored 
Him.\ 

The  manger  itself  is  preserved  in  the 
church  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore  in  Rome. 
The  Altar  of  the  Nativity  belongs  to  the 
Greeks,  and  the  altar  of  the  manger  to  the 
Catholics,  although  the  Catholics  can  say  only 
two  Masses  daily  at  their  altar,  as  it  is  in  the 
same  room  with  the  Altar  of  the  Nativity. 
We  also  visited  the  chapels  of  St.  Joseph, 
of  the  Holy  Innocents,  and  of  St.  .  Jerome 
and  St.  Paula.  The  next  morning  I  had  the 
privilege  of  celebrating  Mass  in  this  holy 
grotto  at  the  altar  of  the  manger.  At  the 
time  appointed  I  found  that  a  Pontifical 
Greek  Mass,  sung  by  a  schismatic  Greek 
bishop,  was  in  progress.  I  put  on  my  cassock 
and  waited  in  the  grotto,  without  vesting, 
until  it  was  finished.  I  had  to  wait  more 
than  an  hour,  but  in  the  meantime  was  very 
much  interested.  The  bishop  was  vested  in  a 


and  the  Holy  Land.  181 


vestment  similar  in  appearance  to  our  cope, 
and  had  on  his  head  during  a  portion  of  the 
service  a  very  high  crown  with  a  cross  at  the 
summit.  An  attempt  at  a  description  of  their 
ceremonies  would  serve  to  confuse  and  mis- 
lead rather  than  inform  the  reader.  Assisting, 
were  four  or  h've  clergymen  in  vestments  simi- 
lar to  that  worn  by  the  bishop.  All  wore 
beards,  and  very  long  hair  parted  in  the  mid- 
dle. During  the  Mass  the  Kyrie  eleison  was 
frequently  sung  by  the  bishop,  accompanied 
by  the  clergy  and  choir.  The  use  of  incense 
was  much  more  frequent  and  common  than 
with  us.  There  were  also  several  processions 
through  the  chapel.  At  one  time  he  gave 
what  I  suppose  was  blessed  bread  to  many  of 
those  present.  He  turned  towards  me  to  see 
if  I  would  receive  it,  but  I  indicated  that  I 
would  not,  and  he  passed  on.  When  they 
had  finished  I  went  to  the  Catholic  sacristy 
and  vested,  and  then  had  the  great  privilege, 
which  until  lately  I  had  never  expected  to 
enjoy,  of  offering  up  and  adoring  the  Sacred 
Host  in  the  exact  spot  where  the  Divine  In- 
fant lay  and  was  adored  on  Christmas  night, 
and  afterwards  by  the  Magi,  nearly  nineteen 
hundred  years  ago.  Whenever  we  said  Mass 
in  any  of  the  sacred  places  a  goodly  num- 


1 82  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ber  of  native   Christians  were  present  and  as- 
sisted. 

We  returned  to  Jerusalem  that  day.  The 
pilgrim  will  always  find  that  the  journey  from 
Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem  and  return  is  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  in  all  Palestine.  / 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

JERICHO    AND    THE    DEAD    SEA. 

OUR  next  excursion  was  to  be  a  longer  one, 
and  more  tiresome  and  subject  to  danger.  It 
was  to  Jericho  and  the  Dead  Sea.  Greater 
preparations  were  necessary  ;  but  these  were  all 
under  the  supervision  of  young  Auwad,  our 
guide  and  dragoman.  Much  to  our  disinclina- 
tion, we  had  to  take  horses  instead  of  don- 
keys. We  were  accompanied  by  two  parties  : 
first  the  cook  and  men  with  tents,  whom  we 
only  saw  a  portion  of  the  time,  and  then  our 
own  party:  ourselves,  the  dragoman,  the  mule- 
teer— who  owned  all  the  horses  and  donkeys, 
and  who  was  a  Turk — and  our  Bedouin  guards. 
Our  guards  were  the  sheik  of  Abu  Dis  and 
his  two  sons.  Sometimes  one  was  with  us, 
sometimes  another.  As  there  were  only  a  few 


and  the  Holy  Land.  183 

travellers  at  that  season  of  the  year,  the  three 
made  the  journey  with  us.  I  may  as  well  say 
it  right  here,  I  like  the  Bedouins  and  almost 
everybody  else  in  the  Holy  Land.  The  Bed- 
ouins seem  like  children  in  disposition  and 
friendship,  but  they  are  brave  men  when  cou- 
rage is  required.  They  were  careful — and  al- 
most childlike — to  point  out  their  native  vil- 
lage or  their  homes,  and  I  have  to  acknowledge 
that  I  took  at  least  as  much  interest  in  them 
as  in  the  country  seats  or  palaces  of  the  noble- 
men and  princes  of  Europe.  And  that  little 
village  had  a  new  interest  for  me  as  the  birth- 
place of  our  Bedouin  guard.  They  are  a  showy, 
warlike-looking  lot  of  fellows,  with  their  dark 
faces  and  large,  black  moustaches,  in  their 
strangely  fashioned  dress,  double-barrelled  gun 
slung  over  their  shoulders,  daggers  and  pistols 
in  their  sashes,  and  mounted  on  their  Arab 
steeds.  But  they  are  nevertheless  as  good-na- 
tured, kind,  affectionate,  and  honest  fellows, 
towards  those  to  whom  they  think  these  quali- 
ties are  due,  as  you  would  wish  to  meet.^ 

Very  early  in  the  morning  we  passed  out 
of  the  Jaffa  gate,  around  the  northern  wall  of 
the  city,  to  the  eastern  side.  The  city  was 
silent,  and  as  we  looked  upon  the  grotto  of 
Jeremias  to  the  north,  where  he  wrote  his 


1 84  A    Visit  to  Eitrope 

Lamentations,  we  were  better  able  to  appreciate 
his  mournful  words:  uHow  doth  the  city  sit 
solitary  that  was  full  of  people."  We  rode 
over  the  Kedron,  and  around  the  southern  side 
of  the  Mount  of  Olives  towards  Bethany.  The 
place  of  the  barren  fig-tree  which  Christ  cursed 
was  pointed  out  to  us.  We  rode  on  through 
Bethany,  ever  beautiful  and  ever  dear  to  us, 
and  soon  after  were  joined  by  our  Bedouin 
guard,  whose  village  was  visible  on  a  hillside 
towards  the  south.  From  here,  until  we4 'drew 
near  to  Jericho,"  we  were  in  the  region  called 
the  "desert  of  Jericho,"  which  is  an  expanse 
of  barren  and  partly  barren  hills. \ 

We  soon  descended  into  the  "Valley  of  the 
Watering- Place,"  and  reached  the  "  Spring  of 
the  AposMes,"  which  is  so  called  because 
Christ  and  His  Apostles  must  have  many  times 
rested  here  and  drank  water  from  this  spring 
on  their  way  from  Jericho  to  Bethany  and 
Jerusalem.  It  must  have  been  to  the  weary 
Apostles  of  our  Lord  one  of  the  pleasantest 
fountains  in  the  whole  land.  So  it  seemed  to 
me  as  we  returned  from  Jericho  after  a  tedi- 
ous ride;  and  for  several  miles  I  eagerly 
looked  forward  to  see  it  come  in  view.  How 
cool  and  refreshing  did  its  waters  seem,  how 
delightful  was  the  place  !  This  was  the  ancient 


and  the  Holy  Land.  185 

"fountain  of  the  sun"  spoken  of  in  the  book 
of  Josue.  I  .. 

The  morning  sun  sends  its  sparkling  rays 
down  through  the  valley,  and  its  first  beams  shine 
on  the  fountain.  This  "Valley  of  the  Foun- 
tain," with  its  e very-day  beauty  and  its  thirty- 
three  hundred  years  of  tranquil  history,  has 
all  the  elements  of  idyllic  poetry.  It  must 
have  been  near  here  that  Semei,  of  the  house  of 
Saul,  cursed  David  in  his  flight,  but  afterwards 
asked  forgiveness,  and  his  life  was  spared. 

From  here  to  Jericho  and  back  again  we 
met  several  hundred  Bedouins,  sometimes  only 
two  together,  sometimes  in  bands  of  twenty, 
with  horses,  camels,  donkeys,  and  flocks  of  sheep 
and  goats.  Flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  were 
usually  together,  the  former  of  the  large- tailed 
variety.  Of  the  several  hundred  men  whom 
we  met,  only  two  were  unarmed.  All  the  rest 
had  guns  of  various  patterns,  most  of  them 
old-fashioned  fire-arms  with  flint-locks,  and 
long  barrels  bound  with  brass  and  inlaid  with 
mother  of  pearl.  Our  guard  was  the  best- 
dressed  and  best-armed  of  any.y 

About  half-way  to  Jericho  is  the  traditional 
place  where  the  man  fell  among  robbers,  as  re- 
lated in  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 
He  could  not  have  found  a  more  fitting  spot 


1 86  A    Visit  to  Europe 

for  such  an  occurrence.  It  would  seem  perfect- 
ly natural  to  the  locality  to  have  a  band  of 
robbers  appear  before  you,  rob  you,  and  leave 
you  half-dead.  It  is  a  dreary  and  dangerous- 
looking  place.  There  is  a  large,  unoccupied 
building  standing  there,  one  of  only  two  or 
three  that  we  saw  in  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles. 
Along  the  route  enough  grass  is  frequently 
found  for  grazing  purposes,  and  now  and  then 
a  tree  spreads  its  sheltering  branches.  The 
road,  while  fairly  good,  was  often  very  pre- 
cipitous. In  many  places  it  was  cut  through 
the  rocks,  and  the  white  limestone,  reflecting 
the  hot  sun,  dazzled  the  eyes  and  formed  a 
heated  oven,  in  which  we  sweltered.  Some- 
times we  came  into  the  cool  shade  of  a  rock, 
and  thought  of  the  refreshing  simile  of  Holy 
Scripture:  "  As  the  shadow  of  a  rock  that 
standeth  out  in  a  desert  land."  We  were  ap- 
proaching a  tropical  climate  in  June.  \ 

For  a  long  distance  we  had  seen  the  moun- 
tains beyond  tie  Jordan,  but  at  last  the  plain 
of  Jericho,  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  the 
Dead  Sea  burst  upon  our  sight.  Far  below 
us,  running  by  the  side  of  the  road,  was  a 
deep  ravine  through  which  runs  the  ancient 
torrent  of  Carith,  or  Cherith,  out  into  the  plain 
and  past  the  modern  Jericho,  into  the  Jordan, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  187 

We  soon  descended  the  last  hill  and  found  our- 
selves in  a  beautiful,  fertile,  ancf  very  green 
plain.  The  plants  and  fruits  of  the  valley  are 
semi-tropical,  on  account  of  its  great  depres- 
sion. Jericho  is  called  in  the  Scriptures  the 
"city  of  palm-trees."  When  Moses  looked 
down  from  Mount  Nebo  he  saw  a  wide  plain, 
luxuriant  in  vegetation,  and  rich  in  fields  of 
grain  and  groves  of  palm-trees,  and  in  its 
midst  a  large  city,  surrounded  by  walls,  and 
rich  in  gold  and  silver.  \ 

It  was  on  this  plain  that  Josue  saw  the 
"prince  of  the  host  of  the  Lord  "  "standing 
over  against  him,  holding  a  drawn  sword."  At 
the  command  of  the  Lord  the  valiant  men  and 
priests  went  around  the  city  seven  times  ;  the 
seventh  time  the  priests  sounded  the  trumpets 
and  the  people  raised  a  great  shout,  and  the 
walls  fell  down  and  the  entire  city  was  de- 
stroyed. In  this  vicinity  took  place  many  of 
the  events  described  in  the  lives  of  the  pro- 
phets Elias  and  Eliseus.  Here  David  fled  and 
passed  over  the  Jordan  from  the  pursuit  of 
Absalom.  Near  here  St.  John  the  Baptist 
preached  penance,  and  our  Lord  was  baptized 
by  him  in  the  Jordan.  About  two  miles  to 
the  north  rises  the  barren,  desolate  Mountain 
of  Temptation,  where  Christ  fasted  forty  days, 


1 88  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  was  afterwards  tempted  by  the  devil.  Near 
here  He  cured  the  u  blind  man  Bartimeus,  who 
sat  by  the  wayside  begging."  Here  also  He  was 
a  guest  at  the  house  of  Zacheus,  "chief  of  the 
publicans."  And  from  here  He  began  His  last, 
sad  journey  towards  Jerusalem.  We  passed 
down  the  almost  level  valley  of  the  Carith, 
through  pleasant  groves  and  gardens,  to  an  inn, 
built  of  wood  and  looking  very  much  like  an 
American  farm-house,  kept  by  a  Russian  fami- 
ly. How  tired  we  were !  As  for  myself,  I  was 
so  stiff  and  lame  from  horseback  riding  over 
such  a  long,  hot,  rugged  road,  that  I  was  hard- 
ly able  to  dismount,  and,  once  on  my  feet, 
scarcely  able  to  walk ;  but  a  certain  degree  of 
elasticity  quickly  returned.  We  were  shown  a 
well- ventilated,  comfortable  upper  room,  where 
we  soon  settled  ourselves  for  a  few  hours'  mid- 
day rest.  The  old  sheik,  father  of  our  guards, 
who  had  arrived  before  us,  made  us  a  call. 
He  was  a  venerable,  dignified  old  Bedouin,  with 
whom  we  spoke  through  an  interpreter^ 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  re- 
mounted our  horses  and  started  for  the  Dead 
Sea,  about  six  miles  distant.  We  tried  to  make 
ourselves  believe  that  a  cool  breeze  had  modi- 
fied the  temperature,  but  it  was  of  no  use. 
There  was  a  breeze,  but  imagination  would  not 


and  the  Holy  Land.  189 

help  us  ;  the  atmosphere  was  too  glowing.  For 
warm  weather  commend  me  to  the  Dead  Sea 
region  in  summer-time  ;  yet  I  prefer  it  to  the 
furnace-like  blasts  that  come  from  the  desert 
at  Cairo.  Modern  Jericho  contains  about  sixty 
families,  most  of  whom  are  Moslems  and  live 
in  miserable  huts.  There  is  a  Greek  monastery, 
and  a  few  other  buildings  are  connected  with 
their  colony.  After  riding  some  distance  we 
again  came  to  the  valley  of  the  torrent  of  Ca- 
rith,  at  the  place  where  the  prophet  Elias  was 
fed  by  the  ravens.  As  we  approached  the  Dead 
Sea  vegetation  gradually  disappeared,  although 
not  entirely.  Like  the  soil,  it  was  coated  with 
salt  and  gypsum./ 

The  Dead  Sea  is  forty-six  miles  in  length, 
and  at  its  broadest  place  ten  miles  in  width.  It 
contains  in  its  waters  no  minimal  life,  although 
birds  fly  over  and  even  swim  on  its  surface.  At 
near  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  thermo- 
meter stood  105°  above,  Fahr.,  in  the  shade  of 
the  most  corpulent  member  of  our  party.  It  is 
said  that  the  water  has  an  oily  appearance. 
There  was  a  breeze  coming  from  the  sea,  which 
produced  small  waves  breaking  upon  the  shore, 
which  caused  much  foam  ;  otherwise  it  did  not 
seem  to  me  different  than  other  sea- water.  But. 
it  is,  in  fact,  as  chemical  analysis  shows  that  it 


IQO  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

contains  twenty-live  per  cent,  of  solids,  one-half 
of  which  is  salt.    The  mean  depth  of  the  sea  is 
about  eleven  hundred  feet.     It  is  calculated  that 
six  million  tons  of  water  flow  into  the  Dead  Sea 
daily,  and  it  has  no  visible  outlet.     It  is  called 
in  the  Scriptures  the  Salt  Sea,  the  Eastern  Sea, 
and  the  Sea  of  the  Plain  ;    by  the  Greeks  the 
Sea  of  Asphalt,  and  by  the  Arabs  the   Sea  of 
Lot.     Where  this  sea  and  barren  plain  now  lie 
in  dreary,  desolate  grandeur,  surrounded  by  the 
high  mountains  on  either  side,  was  once  a  luxu- 
riant plain,  adorned  with  prosperous  and  popu- 
lous cities.    This  was  the  plain  chosen  by  Lot 
nearly  four   thousand  years  ago,  and  described 
in    these    words:     uAnd    Lot,    lifting    up    his 
eyes,    saw  all   the    country  about   the    Jordan, 
which  was  watered  throughout,  before  the  Lord 
destroyed  Sodom  and   Gomorrah,  as  the  para- 
dise of  the  Lord."     Mountains  from  fifteen  hun- 
dred to  twenty-five  hundred  feet  in  height  near- 
ly  surround  it,  those  on  the  east  side  being  the 
higher,  and  their  blue  slopes  form  a  rugged  and 
grand  framework  to  the  blue  mirror  which  they 
enclose.     Notwithstanding  the  dread  desolation 
of  the  place,  it  is,  after  all,  a  very  beautiful  pic- 
ture on  which  the  eyes  rest.     The  scenery  is  a 
wonderful    commingling    of    the    beautiful  and 
sublime.  / 


and  the  Holy  Land.  191 

We  did  not  attempt  a  full  bath  in  the  heavy 
waters,  but  contented  ourselves  witli  bathing 
our  hands. 

Taking  in  the  entire  surroundings,  we  medi- 
tated on  what  they  once  were  by  God's  bless- 
ing, on  what  they  now  are  by  God's  curse. 
Our  reveries,  as  we  looked  upon  those  scenes, 
were  not  so  prolonged  as  they  would  have  been 
had  the  heat  been  less  intense.  We  were  easi- 
ly convinced  that  we  had  gone  far  enough,  and 
were  satisfied  to  look  upon  the  green  course  of 
the  Jordan  from  the  distance,  rather  than  far- 
ther overheat  ourselves  in  the  great  natural  oven 
which  we  had  entered.  / 

Therefore,  returning  directly  through  Jericho, 
we  passed  to  our  camping-ground  near  the  foun- 
tain of  Eliseus  (or  Elisha).  It  was  dark  after 
leaving  Jericho,  and  we  rode  two  miles  through 
groves,  near  Bedouin  encampments,  and  across 
streams  exceedingly  difficult  of  passage,  until 
we  reached  our  tents.  In  the  dim  light  of  the 
evening  we  could  see  over  the  larger  tent  pie- 
pared  for  us  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  in 
the  warm  breeze  of  the  plain  of  Jericho,  and, 
like  ourselves,  a  long  way  from  home ;  but  the 
flag  of  our  country  cheered  our  weary  spirits. 
We  were  quickly  off  our  horses  and  in  our  tent. 
Although  during  the  day  we  frequently  drank 


192  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  cool  water  from  an  earthen  jug  carried  by 
our  muleteer,  and  replenished  by  him  at  every 
good  fountain,  we  were  as  thirsty  as  if  we  had 
been  drinking  from  the  Dead  Sea.  Lemonade 
is  easily  procured  in  Palestine,  and  we  drank 
more  of  it  that  evening  than  was  really  good 
for  us.  A  most  excellent  meal  was  soon  placed 
before  us  in  different  courses — soup,  three  kinds 
of  meat,  and  various  delicacies.  It  was  really 
a  marvel  of  good  food  and  good  cookery.  But, 
alas !  we  had  lost  our  appetites ;  we  were  too 
tired  to  feel  like  eating.  Hunger  was  gone, 
thirst  had  taken  possession  of  us.  My  two 
companions  fell  out  by  the  way  at  the  first 
course  of  soup.  The  one  of  our  number  whom 
God  had  blessed  with  the  most  magnificent  ap- 
petite had  completely  lost  it,  and  was  the  first 
to  relinquish  the  contest,  which  he  scarcely  be- 
gan. I  alone  determined,  notwithstanding  my 
feelings,  not  to  disappoint  the  cook,  and  par- 
took something  of  every  course.  We  had  very 
nice  beds,  but  the  night  was  excessively  warm. 
Our  Bedouin  guards  did  constant  sentry  duty 
during  the  entire  night.  We  had  noticed  on 
our  way  to  the  Dead  Sea  and  return  that  the 
guard  in  charge  frequently  took  close  observa- 
tions of  the  mountains  of  Moab,  as  if  to  note 
any  indications  of  the  presence  of  hostile  tribes, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  193 

and  at  night  they  showed  more  particular  anx- 
iety and  vigilance.  We  were  not  ^inclined  to 
apprehend  danger  in  any  part  of  Palestine,  as 
many  travellers  do,  but  we  concluded  that  night 
that  there  was  at  least  some  show  of  danger. 
Without  doubt  there  are  many  dangers  lurk- 
ing in  the  mountains  east  of  the  Jordan,  liable 
at  any  moment  to  make  their  presence  felt,  es- 
pecially at  a  time  of  the  year  when  there  are 
but  few  travellers,  where  less  hindrance  might 
be  expected  on  account  of  less  numbers  to  op- 
pose. The  Bedouins  beyond  the  river  are  less 
tractable,  and  often  make  incursions  to  the  west- 
ern side  for  purposes  of  robbery,  although  when 
once  they  have  become  your  escort  you  are  per- 
fectly safe  in  their  hands.  It  was  so  sultry  in 
our  tent  dining  the  night  that  a  good  sleep  was 
out  of  the  question,  and  the  fleshiest  member  of 
our  party  might  have  been  seen  in  the  middle 
of  the  night,  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  sitting  at  the 
door  of  his  tent  like  Abraham  of  old,  and  now 
and  then  negotiating  with  one  of  the  guards  to 
go  to  the  spring  of  the  prophet  Eliseus  to  bring 
him  a  drink  of  cool  water.  / 


194  A    Visit  to  Europe 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  MORNING   AND   DAY   IN   PALESTINE. 

WE  were  out  of  our  beds  and  dressed  at 
dawn  of  day.  Having  partaken  of  a  slight 
meal,  and  while  the  tents  were  being  taken 
down,  packed,  and  loaded  on  the  mules,  we 
visited  the  fountain  of  Eliseus.  This  is  the 
spring  spoken  of  in  the  Holy  Scriptures : 
' '  And  the  men  of  the  city  said  to  Eliseus : 
Behold  the  situation  of  this  city  is  very  good, 
as  thou,  my  lord,  seest ;  but  the  waters  are 
very  bad  and  the  ground  barren.  And  he 
said :  Bring  me  a  new  vessel  and  put  salt  in 
it.  And  when  they  had  brought  it,  he  went 
out  to  the  spring  of  the  waters,  and  cast  the 
salt  into  it,  and  said:  Thus  saith  the  Lord: 
I  have  healed  these  waters,  and  there  shall 
be  no  more  in  them  death  or  barrenness. 
And  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day.'7 
The  spring  is  a  large  one,  copious  and  beau- 
tiful, and  sends  forth  pure  water  and  fertility 
to  a  large  tract  of  country./ 

It  was  a  splendid  morning ;  a  cooling  breeze 
fanned  our  cheeks  and  invigorated  our  bodies, 
while  all  nature  gladdened  our  hearts  ;  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  195 

rising  sun  darted  its  golden  beams  over  the 
purple  mountains  and  through  the 4  green  val- 
leys of  the  east,  gilding  the  tops  of  the  gray 
mountains  of  the  west,  and  sending  a  thou- 
sand beautiful  reflections  upon  the  shining  sur- 
face of  the  Dead  Sea,  until  we  could  no  longer 
draw  the  dividing  line  between  the  gray,  blue, 
green,  and  purple  of  the  earth  and  the  azure 
of  the  heavens.  The  joyous  vision  of  these 
things  which  are  seen,  united  with  hallowed 
and  historic  associations  of  four  thousand 
years,  raised  our  souls  to  the  contemplation 
of  the  unseen  and  spiritual  things  of  God,  to 
praise  and  thanksgiving  for  His  everlasting 
love  and  bount}r.  I  looked  back  four  thousand 
years  to  that  terrible  morning  when  u  the  sun 
was  risen  upon  the  earth  and  Lot  entered  into 
Segor,"  and  I  seemed  to  see  towards  the  south 
the  fires  of  divine  anger  hurled  forth  from 
heaven  like  awful  thunderbolts  upon  the  fair 
cities  of  that  luxuriant  plain,  crushing  and 
consuming  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
that  an  hour  before  had  been  bathed  in  the 
warmth,  richness,  and  glory  of  God's  sunlight. 
I  looked  back  more  than  three  thousand  years, 
and  I  seemed  to  see  shining  among  those  east- 
ern mountains  the  "pillar  of  the  cloud  by  day 
and  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,"  covering  the 


196  A    Visit  to  Europe 

tabernacle  of  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the 
camp  of  Israel,  coming  to  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan  and  in  its  waters  for  ever  vanishing, 
but  a  figure  to  be  fulfilled  in  that  same  place 
and  in  those  same  waters  fourteen  centuries 
afterwards  in  the  baptism  of  Christ ;  for  the 
holy  Fathers  teach  that  the  "  pillar  of  fire" 
was  a  figure  of  Christ,  and  the  "  pillar  of  the 
cloud"  a  figure  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  x 

I  looked  back  nearly  two  thousand  years, 
and  I  seemed  to  see  in  the  plain  below  a 
small  company  of  men  of  venerable  appear- 
ance, in  long,  flowing,  graceful  robes  such  as 
are  seen  everywhere  in  Oriental  lands,  who  are 
departing  from  Jericho,  slowly  ascending  the 
first  hill  and  disappearing  among  the  moun- 
tains. One  among  them  seems  more  noble 
than  the  rest,  more  perfect  in  form  and  bear- 
ing, and  I  seemed  to  see  even  in  the  distance 
that  He  had  a  more  godlike  brow,  and  eye, 
and  face  than  the  others  ;  and — I  could  not 
tell,  it  was  so  far  distant — it  may  have  been 
the  morning  sun  that  formed  that  bright  halo 
around  His  head,  but  it  seemed  to  me  milder 
and  yet  more  radiant.  It  is  the  last  sad, 
solemn  procession  of  Jesus  and  His  Apostles 
on  their  way  to  Jerusalem,  where  He  goes  to 
be  crucified.  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  197 

And  in  those  three  pictures  I  saw  the  ter- 
rible anger,  the  holy  fear,  and  the  sweet  love 
of  our  God. 

We  rode  around  the  base  of  the  desolate 
Mountain  of  Temptation,  and  in  a  few  miles 
got  back  to  our  old  road  by  which  we  had 
come  from  Jerusalem.  The  usual  return  of 
travellers  is  by  the  way  of  Mar  Saba  and 
Bethlehem,  but  on  account  of  the  great  heat 
that  road  appeared  longer  than  we  wished  to 
undertake.  As  we  gradually  ascended  the 
mountains,  on  every  higher  eminence  we  look- 
ed back  to  see  if  we  could  still  distinguish 
Mount  Nebo,  and  to  give  ourselves  up  to  spe- 
culations perhaps  somewhat  romantic.  I  have 
heard  it  stated,  but  without  reference  or  cita- 
tion of  proof,  that  there  is  an  old  prophecy 
that  the  East  will  be  reconverted  to  Chris- 
tianity by  priests  from  America.  If  the  long- 
ings of  some  hearts  could  be  realized,  it  sure- 
ly would  be  fulfilled.  As  the  sun  rose  higher 
it  became  warmer,  but  luckily  we  were  now 
ascending  towards  Jerusalem,  to  cooler  heights. 
After  a  few  hours  we  anxiously  looked  for- 
ward down  the  valley  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  Fountain  of  the  Apostles,  which  once 
reached,  we  quickly  threw  ourselves  from  our 
horses.  An  old  Moslem,  with  his  family,  was 


198  A    Visit  to  Europe 

lying  in  the  shade  ready  to  assist  travellers 
in  any  way  possible.  The  water  is  most  ex- 
cellent, but  a  cloth  must  be  placed  over  the 
mouth  of  the  vessel  to  strain  it,  on  account 
of  leeches.  As  we  came  near  Bethany  our 
guard  bid  us  "farewell,"  and  turned  to  the 
left  to  his  own  village  ;  he  afterwards  came  to 
see  us  at  Jerusalem.  / 

We  soon  after  reached  Bethany,  and  de- 
cided to  stop  there  and  lunch  in  a  beautiful 
olive  orchard  near  the  house  of  Mary  and 
Martha.  We  were  immediately  surrounded  by 
a  large  number  of  the  women  and  children  of 
the  village.  Every  one  wanted  to  do  us  a  ser- 
vice. The  woman,  with  her  family,  who  has 
charge  of  the  tomb  of  Lazarus,  was  there  with 
a  jug  of  water.  The  boy  who  sold  "antique" 
Bedouin  daggers  was  also  on  hand  ;  and  many 
others,  with  jugs  of  water  or  pleading  looks, 
made  up  the  company,  all  expecting  back- 
sheesh.  Water  for  drinking  purposes  seemed 
to  be  the  chief  staple  product  of  the  place  ; 
but  the  water  of  Bethany  is  very  good.  We, 
however,  seated  on  the  ground  under  the  pro- 
tecting shade  of  a  large  olive-tree,  confined  our- 
selves to  lemonade,  wine,  cold  chicken,  and  other 
solids.  On  our  way  to  Jericho  we  had  met  the 
funeral  procession  of  a  man  who  died  in  that 


and  the  Holy  Land.  199 

village,  but  whose  native  place  was  Bethany, 
where  he  was  borne  by  his  friends  *for  burial. 
As  soon  as  we  met  them  they  started  a  mourn- 
ful cry  or  song  of  sorrow.  They  were  now 
down  below  us  in  a  green,  shady  valley,  sing- 
ing their  mournful  dirge  during  one  hour  at 
midday,  which,  I  was  told,  is  repeated  for 
eight  days.  As  for  myself,  I  kept  constantly 
falling  asleep,  and  slept  a  good  portion  of  the 
time  that  I  sat  in  the  midst  of  that  motley 
crowd.  But,  half-dreaming,  with  the  happy 
voices  of  children  and  the  sad  voices  of 
mourning  sounding  in  my  ears,  Bethany  seem- 
ed to  me  more  lovely  than  ever.  When  wilt 
Thou,  O  Lord,  call  out :  Come  forth  from  your 
spiritual  graves,  ye  men  of  the  village  of 
Lazarus ;  and  ye  daughters  of  Bethany,  dry 
the  tears  of  your  mourning  that  is  without 
hope  ?  / 

After  about  an  hour  we  started  for  Jerusa- 
lem, and  rode  around  the  southern  brow  of 
Mount  Olivet,  and  in  a  short  time  familiar 
scenes  were  once  more  before  our  eyes.  We 
passed  through  St.  Stephen's  gate,  up  the  Via 
Dolorosa,  and  soon  stopped  before  the  ever- 
hospitable  portals  of  Casa  Nova,  where  we 
were  received  like  old  acquaintances.  Our 
rooms,  where  we  left  our  large  leather  travel- 


2oo  A    Visit  to  Enrope 

lingbags,  in  which  were  so  many  things  to 
remind  us  of  our  home  in  America,  and  which 
we  missed  so  much  in  a  few  days'  absence, 
seemed  like  a  second  home  to  us.  As  I  now 
write,  that  travelling-bag  is  in  an  adjoining 
room,  but  it  does  not  seem  so  intimate  as  it 
did  then  ;  it  even  seems  to  have  put  on  more 
foreign  airs  than  its  master,  and  to  be  per- 
vaded with  a  certain  Oriental  atmosphere  ;  but 
it  is  nevertheless  the  old  companion  of  my 
travels,  which  I  can  never  forget.  / 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   "  HILL-COUNTRY  OF   JUDEA "    AND  HOUSE  OF 
THE    VISITATION. 

OUR  next  excursion  was  to  Ain  Karim,  or  St. 
John's  in  Montana,  where  St.  John  the  Baptist 
was  born,  and  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  visited 
her  cousin  St.  Elizabeth  :  "  And  Mary,  rising  up 
in  those  days,  went  into  the  hill-country  with 
haste  into  a  city  of  Juda."  It  is  about  seven 
miles  distant  from  Jerusalem,  nearly  west, 
through  valleys  and  over  hills.  We  were  again 
mounted  on  our  favorite  donkeys,  and  from 


and  the  Holy  Land.  201 

practice  were  enabled  to  get  considerable  speed 
out  of  them,  even  over  rocky  roads  *and  down 
steep  hills.  The  country  around  Jerusalem  is 
rocky  beyond  ordinary  imagination  ;  but  wher- 
ever there  is  an  attempt  to  cultivate  it,  not  only 
in  valleys  but  even  on  hillsides,  trees,  gardens, 
and  vineyards  are  successful,  for  the  soil  is  so 
rich  that  but  little  of  it  is  •  necessary .  Almost 
everywhere  flowering  shrubs  of  various  kinds 
were  seen  ;  they  were  still  green,  and  many  of 
them  contained  a  sprinkling  of  flowers,  although 
no  rain  had  moistened  them  for  more  than 
seven  weeks.  Small  flowers  also  were  seen  peep- 
ing up  among  the  rocks  and  stones,  as  bright- 
looking  as  if  they  had  just  caught  in  their  beau- 
tiful cups  the  refreshing  drops  of  a  spring 
shower. 

In  spring  Palestine  must  be  the  land  of 
flowers.  From  north  to  south  it  is  the  same 
everywhere  ;  every  blade,  plant,  and  shrub  seems 
to  produce  flowers  of  rich  or  delicate  hue.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  richness  of 
some  and  delicacy  of  others,  and  the  never-end- 
ing varieties.  / 

Descending  a  high,  steep,  rocky  hill,  we  were 
in  Ain  Karim.  Our  first  visitation  was  to  the 
place  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  hastened  to  meet 
St.  Elizabeth.  We  left  the  village,  and  passed 


202  A    Visit  to  Europe 

by  the  Fountain  of  the  Madonna,  which  the 
Blessed  Virgin  must  many  times  have  visited. 
It  is  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque  fountain 
that  I  saw  in  the  Holy  Land.  A  number  of  girls 
and  women  were  around  it,  washing  clothes  in 
its  waters  as  they  flowed  down  and  away.  In 
their  strange,  various  colored  dresses,  and  with 
their  dark  eyes  and*  hair,  they  presented  a  most 
pleasing  Oriental  picture  not  quickly  forgotten. 
We  passed  around  and  up  the  side  of  a  hill, 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village. 
To  our  right  was  a  convent,  the  country  house  of 
the  Sisters  of  Sion,  and  to  our  left  a  church, 
where  once  stood  the  house  of  the  Visitation, 
probably  the  summer-dwelling  of  Zacharias. 
Between  the  two  is  a  tasty  flower-garden.  The 
church  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  grand,  solid 
ruins  of  a  church  built  by  the  Crusaders.  We 
entered,  and  standing  directly  before  us  was  an 
altar  with  an  inscription  beneath  it  stating  that 
it  is  of  constant  and  perpetual  tradition  that  this 
is  the  place  of  the  u  Magnificat,"  the  place  where 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Elizabeth  met,  and 
where  St.  Elizabeth  called  her  "  blessed  among 
women,"  and  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  with  di- 
vine rapture  answered  :  "  My  soul  doth  magnify 
the  Lord,"  etc.  We  knelt  and  repeated  the  joy- 
ous and  grateful  words  of  that  inspired  Canticle. 


and  the  Holy  Land. 


Oh  !  liow  beautiful  are  those  places*  that  have 
been  made  holy  by  our  Blessed  Mother's  feet. 
No  wonder  that  a  pious  legend  says  that  the 
roses  of  Jericho  sprung  up  in  the  desert  wher- 
ever the  Blessed  Virgin  placed  her  foot.  We 
were  shown  a  small  cave  near  by,  where  St.  John 
the  Baptist  was  concealed  during  the  slaughter 
of  the  Holy  Innocents./ 

We  were  at  the  end  of  the  valley  of  Terebinth, 
which  we  had  crossed  on  our  road  from  Jaffa  to 
Jerusalem.  From  the  ruins  of  this  ancient 
church  we  could  see  far  up  the  valley,  beyond 
the  Jaffa  road,  to  Neby  Samwil  rising  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  is  a  fertile  valley  of  green  groves  and 
orchards,  and  near  Ain  Kariin  it  is  wholly  cov- 
ered with  well-cultivated  gardens,  delightful  to 
the  eye.  St.  John's  has  a  population  of  about 
seven  hundred,  of  whom  about  six  hundred  are 
Moslems  and  one  hundred  or  more  are  Catho- 
lics. We  passed  down  the  hill  and  by  the  foun- 
tain to  the  castellated  monastery  and  church  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  where  he  was  born.  This 
is  where  the  holy  priest  Zacharias  uttered  that 
other  inspired  canticle,  "Benedictus"  —  "Bless- 
ed be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel."  Having  knelt 
at  the  various  altars,  and  having  commended 
ourselves  to  the  Blessed  Mother,  to  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  to  St.  Zacharias  and  St.  Elizabeth, 


204  A    Visit  to  Europe 


who  once  ft  welt  here,  we  started  back  to  Jeru- 
salem. / 

The  time  was  drawing  near  when  we  must 
leave  Jerusalem.  We  had  intended  to  visit  He- 
bron, the  home  and  final  resting-place  of  the 
patriarchs.  We  had  also  intended  to  go  north 
overland,  and  have  the  privilege  of  drinking  at 
Jacob's  Well,  which  is  four  thousand  years  old, 
and  where  our  Lord  sat,  weary,  conversing  with 
the  Samaritan  woman.  But  our  weeks  were 
quickly  passing,  and  we  had  a  limited  time  for 
our  absence  from  home  ;  and  we  would  remain 
in  Rome  some  weeks,  and  then  extend  our 
travels  up  through  the  countries  of  central  Eu- 
rope. So  we  concluded  to  omit  Hebron  and  other 
places  of  interest,  and  go  to  Nazareth  over  the 
easiest  route,  by  way  of  Jaffa  and  Mount  Carmel. 

The  good  and  kind  superior  of  Casa  Nova, 
and  the  sisters  who  were  about  to  found  a  house 
in  Nazareth,  and  their  simple-hearted,  pious  old 
Capuchin  chaplain,  were  about  to  make  the 
same  journey  by  the  same  route.  We  went  in 
different  parties.  \ 

Having  received  sacred  mementoes  from  al- 
most every  one  in  the  house — mementoes  on  the 
border-land  of  relics,  which  we  shall  ever  sacred- 
ly treasure — we  were  ready  to  start.  A  num- 
ber of  natives  had  come  to  the  convent  to  see  us 


and  the  Holy  Land.  205 

off  and  to  assist  us.  After  all,  even  though, 
those  who  assist  you  expect  a  little  reward,  does 
the  little  given  in  any  way  repay  the  kindliness 
of  spirit  with  which  you  are  served?  And  that 
which  is  expected  is  frequently  sadly  needed. 
In  most  instances  it  is  given  to  the  poor ;  and 
how  often  ifc  is  the  case  that  the  poor  wonder- 
fully control  themselves  when  it  is  a  real  pain 
to  do  so,  because  of  their  necessities !  Under 
that  half-concealed  look  of  anxiety  hunger  and 
want  are  frequently  hidden.  I  have  no  patience 
with  those  who  do  not  wish  to  give  a  reasonable 
fee  to  those  who  serve  them  ;  for  to  fee  is  often 
to  feed-  the  hungry,  whether  that  fee  is  called 
backsheesh  or  goes  by  some  other  name..  On 
our  way  to  the  Jaffa  gate  a  considerable  number 
came  to  bid  us  "good-by."  They  were  those 
whom  we  knew,  and  we  were  somewhat  surpris- 
ed to  think  that  we  had  made  so  many  acquain- 
tances in  Jerusalem.  We  were  soon  in  our 
wagon,  bade  "adieu"  to  our  friends,  and  once 
more  were  on  our  journey.  We  looked  back 
from  time  to  time,  but  in  a  little  while  the  walls 
of  the  Holy  City  disappeared  from  our  vision, 
probably  for  ever.  But  may  our  eyes  at  length 
catch  sight  of  the  glorious  walls  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  the  Holy  City  of  the  Living  God  !  / 
The  road  to  the  valley  of  Terebinth  did  not 


2o6  A    Visit  to  Europe 

seem  half  so  long  as  it  did  the  morning  of  our 
arrival.  The  cafe  in  the  valley,  like  many  simi- 
lar places  in  Palestine,  has,  besides  various 
kinds  of  liquors,  imported  beer  from  Vienna  and 
Marburg,  in  Austria,  Oar  driver  on  this  trip 
was  an  Arab,  and  was  not  so  sleepy  as  the  Rus- 
sian driver  of  the  former  journey.  About  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at  Ramleh, 
but  made  only  a  short  stop.  As  usual,  a  num- 
ber of  other  travellers  were  taking  a  brief  rest, 
nnd  among  them  were  several  Turkish  soldiers  in 
charge  of  a  Bedouin  who  had  stabbed  four  or 
five  men.  We  again  saw  them  the  next  morn- 
ing in  the  plain  of  Sharon,  riding  on  their 
horses,  marching  him  before  them,  until  they 
finally  turned  into  a  guard-houSe.  The  poor 
fellow  looked  dusty,  tired,  and  dejected,  and  I 
could  not  help  pitying  him,  although  he  may 
have  been  getting  his  just  deserts.  We  were  in 
Jaffa  at  an  early  hour  and  at  the  doors  of  the 
convent,  where  we  were  welcomed  by  familiar 
faces.  The  sisters  were  there  before  us,  and  one 
of  them  was  appointed  to  deliver  us  an  address. 
It  was  about  as  follows  :  u  We  meet  so  often  in 
the  Holy  Land,  we  hope  that  we  will  also  meet 
in  heaven."  We  expressed  a  reciprocation  of 
the  good  desire,  and  shall  pray  that  it  may  be 
fulfilled.  As  soon  as  possible  we  took  a  much- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  207 

needed  sleep,  and,  thus  refreshed,  were  prepar- 
ed to  enjoy  during  the  remainder  of  the  day  and 
evening  that  singularly  peaceful  and  beautiful 
scene.  / 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"NOBIS   DONET   IN   PATRIA." 

TOWARDS  evening,  while  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
already  set,  lingered  on  the  distant  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  at  the  western  horizon,  and  as 
the  evening  breezes  were  springing  up  from  the 
great  sea,  cooling  the  parched  day,  and  silence 
began  to  take  the  place  of  busy  noise,  the  sis- 
ters, who  had  assembled  together  on  one  of  the 
higher,  court  like  terraces  of  the  monastery, 
commenced  to  sing,  and  sung  a  few  plaintive, 
pious  melodies,  which  sounded  to  me  like  the 
sad  songs  of  exiles  who  never  again  expected  to 
see  their  native  land./ 

But  we  are  all  exiles  in  this  world,  longing 
for  our  heavenly  home  and  country.  I  cannot 
imagine  a  sadder  land  to  the  Christian  exile 
than  Palestine,  nor  one  nearer  or  surer  of  hea- 
ven, O  home  !  thou  art  dear  to  the  homesick 


208  A    Visit  to  Europe 

heart,  but  our  real  home  is  heaven.  Therefore 
the  pious  exiles  of  the  Holy  Land,  who  are 
exiles  by  their  own  will  for  the  sweet  love  of 
Jesus  and  Mary,  are  the  favored  ones  of  God. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  we  had  the 
privilege  of  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  the 
church  of  Jaffa.  We  enjoyed  the  remainder  of 
the  forenoon  looking  out  upon  the  sea,  and  gave 
ourselves  up  to  our  imagination  ;  for  this  is  the 
great  sea  of  whose  majesty  and  wonders  the 
inspired  psalmists  and  prophets  so  frequently 
sing./ 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  the  steamer  for  Haifa 
(or  Caifa).  A  number  of  Franciscan  fathers, 
and  the  sisters  already  spoken  of,  were  also 
aboard.  The  steamer  belonged  to  the  Austrian 
Lloyd  line.  While  on  the  Mediterranean  we 
sailed  on  steamers  of  four  different  lines  :  from 
Brindisi  to  Alexandria  on  the  P.  and  O.  steam- 
ers, an  English  line  ;  from  Alexandria  to  Jaffa 
on  a  Russian  steamer  ;  from  Jaffa  to  Haifa  and 
back  to  Alexandria  on  the  Austrian  Lloyd  ;  and 
from  Alexandria  to  Naples  on  a  French  steamer. 
The  passenger  rates  were  by  far  the  dearest  on 
the  P.  and  O.  line,  and  next  dearest  on  the  Aus- 
trian Lloyd.  The  food  was  best  on  the  French 
line,  about  equally  good  on  the  Russian  and 
Austrian,  and  poorest  on  the  P.  and  0.  line ; 


and  the  Holy  Land.  209 

but  the  steamers  of  the  last-named  were  fine 
and  large.  On  the  French  and  Russian  steam- 
ers wines  were  free,  and  on  the  other  two  lines 
to  be  paid  for  extra.  In  the  first  cabin  of  all  the 
lines  everything  was  very  clean  and  neat,  the 
English  steamer  having  East  Indian  table  wait- 
ers and  the  others  Europeans,  whom  I  very 
much  pref erred.  \ 

It  was  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at  night  before  we 
arrived  at  Haifa.  The  wind  was  blowing,  the 
waves  were  rolling,  and  it  was  very  dark.  The 
small  boats  put  out  from  the  shore  as  soon  as  we 
had  anchored,  each  with  a  solitary  lantern,  but 
with  an  abundance  of  suppressed  noise  and  con- 
fusion, ready  to  burst  all  bonds  and  bounds  as 
soon  as  the  steamer  was  reached.  I  must  ac- 
knowledge that  I  do  not  like  the  mode  of  land- 
ing. We  had  to  go  down  a  dark  gangway,  and 
then  step  off  into — we  knew  not  what — a  boat,  if 
we  could,  that  was  rising  and  sinking,  and  tip- 
ping about  among  twenty  other  boats,  each  one 
trying  to  push  the  others  away  from  the  foot  of 
the  gangway.  We  all  managed  to  step  into  a 
boat  instead  of  the  sea,  although  it  was  so  dark 
below  that  we  could  not  discover  which  until 
we  found  ourselves  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 
A  gentleman,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two 
small  children,  was  in  the  boat  with  us,  and  at 


2io  A    Visit  to  Europe 


tended  to  the  custom-house  officer  in  the  usual 
way.  He  proved  to  be  a  German  in  the  employ 
of  the  English  Missionary  Society  for  the  con- 
version of  the  Jews.  He  had  been  operating  in 
Jerusalem,  but  had  lately  been  transferred  to 
Safed,  the  "  city  seated  on  a  hill"  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  where  there  is  a  large 
Jewish  population.  We  decided  to  stay  at  the 
Hotel  Carmel,  of  the  German  colony,  which  is 
some  distance  out  of  town  ;  but  it  proved  to  be 
an  excellent  inn,  and  on  the  direct  way  to  the 
convent  of  Mount  Carmel.  We  awakened  early 
the  next  morning,  and  after  breakfast  went 
out  to  take  a  look  around  us.  \ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MOUNT    CARMEL — THE     MOUNTAIN     OF     THE     PRO- 
PHETS  AND    OF   THE   BLESSED    VIRGIN    MARY. 

HIGH  above  us  rose  Mount  Carmel,  which 
branches  off  from  the  mountains  of  Samaria, 
and  extends  towards  the  northwest  to  the  sea. 
It  is  about  fifteen  miles  long,  and  rises  in  places 
to  a  height  of  more  than  seventeen  hundred  feet. 
Along  its  northern  base  is  the  great  plain  of  Es- 


teiv  ' 

way.      i       ..     •  •  in  (lie  employ 

of   i  nary  Society  for  f 

version  had  been  < 

Jei-i;  had   lately  been    transferred   to 

SalV  t  on  a  hill."  at  "the  north 

of  Galilee,  where  th'H'e  is  a  large 

J.on..    We  •  to  stay  at  the 

of  the  German  colony,  which  is 

.  ;  but  it  proved  to  be 

Uent  inn,  and  vay  to  the 

,ened  early 

the    next  .,,    and    after    breakfast   went 

out  to  take  a  look  around  us.\ 


CHAPTER  X 


MOI 

PI!  !  MY. 

UK;  ,luch 

.      .ria, 

and  ex'  north  w                    sea. 

It  is  ab  places 

to  a  height  of  rnoiv  tidred  feet. 

Along  its  north  -lain  of  Es- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  211 

draelou.  This  mountain  was  the  residence  of 
the  prophets  Elias  and  Eliseus,  and  Uhe  seat  of 
the  "school  of  the  prophets."  It  slopes  to- 
wards the  great  sea,  into,  which  it  juts,  a  high 
and  bold  promontory,  on  which  the  convent  of 
Mount  Carmel  is  situated,  four  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  above  the  water.  The  convent,  seen 
from  land  or  sea,  is  a  very  conspicuous  object. 
Carmel  is  covered  with  trees  and  vegetation, 
and  even  now  is  beautiful  and  majestic;  there- 
fore does  Solomon  sing  in  the  Canticle  of  Can- 
ticles, in  reciting  the  praises  of  the  Spouse  of 
Christ:  "  Thy  head  is  like  Carmel."  Christ, 
the  invisible  Head  of  the  Church,  is  here  signi- 
fied. But,  like  all  other  places  in  Palestine, 
Carmel  is  not  what  it  once  was,  but  rather  the 
mournful  prophecy  of  Isaias  is  fulfilled:  "And 
gladness  and  joy  shall  be  taken  away  from  Car- 
mel, and  there  shall  be  no  rejoicing  nor  shout- 
ing in  the  vineyards.  He  shall  not  tread  out 
wine  in  the  press  that  was  wont  to  tread  it  out : 
the  voice  of  the  t readers  I  have  taken  away."\ 
On  this  mountain  the  prophet  Elias  called 
down  fire  from  heaven,  which  consumed  the 
holocaust  upon  his  altar,  to  the  confusion  of 
the  prophets  of  Baal,  so  that  the  people  cried 
out:  "The  Lord  He  is  God."  And  the  false 
prophets  were  brought  down  from  the  moun- 


212  A    Visit  to  Europe 


tain  to  the  ancient  torrent  of  Kishon,  or  Cison, 
and  were  slain  on  account  of  their  impiety  and 
imposture. 

On   this  mountain.  Elias  prayed  when    there 
had  been  no  rain  for  three  years  and  six  months 
and  while  he  prayed  "a  little  cloud  arose  out 
f  the  sea";  "and  while  he  turned  himself  this 
way  and  that  way,   behold  the   heavens  grew 
dark  with  clouds  and  winds,  and  there  fell   a 
great  rain."     The  place  of  the  sacrifice  of  Elias 
>  yet  pointed  out,  and  the  convent  of  Carmel 
is  built  over  the  cave  where  he  dwelt.      From 
time  immemorial  this  mountain  has  been  occu- 
pied not  only  by  the  prophets,  but  by  saintly 
anchorites  before  the  time  of  Christ,  and  after 
[is  coming  by  Christian  hermits  until  the  pre- 
sent time.    The  Carmelites    have    the    prophet 
Elias  as  their  founder.^ 

The  fourth  and  fifth  lessons   of    the  Divine 
Office  of  the  Roman  Breviary  for  the  Commemo. 
ration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  of  Mount  Car- 
met  relate  the  following  :  «  When,  on  the  sacred 
day  of  Pentecost,  the  Apostles  by  heavenly  in- 
spiration spoke  in  divers  tongues,  and,  having 
invoked  the  most  august  name  of  Jesus,  perform- 
ed many  wonders,  it  is  related  that  very  many 
men  who  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  the  holy 
prophets  Elias  and  Eliseus.  and  had  been  prepared 


and  the  Holy  Land.  213 

by  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist  for  the 
coming  of  Christ,  .  .  .  forthwith  embraced  the 
evangelical  faith,  and  by  a  certain  especial  love 
began  so  to  venerate  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin— 
whose  converse  and  familiarity  they  had  hap- 
pily been  able  to  enjoy — that  first  of  all  on  that 
place  on  Mount  Carmel  where  Elias  formerly 
saw  the  cloud  rising,  marked  as  a  type  of  the 
Yirgin,  they  built  a  chapel  to  the  same  most 
pure  Virgin.  Therefore,  gathering  frequently 
every  day  at  that  new  chapel,  with  pious  rites, 
prayers,  and  praises,  they  worshipped  the  Most 
Blessed  Virgin  as  the  particular  patroness  of 
their  order.  For  which  reason  they  came  to  be 
called  everywhere  the  Brothers  of  the  Blessed 
Mary  of  Mount  Carmel."\ 

The  German  colony  has  reclaimed  considera- 
ble land  between  the  base  of  the  mountain  and 
the  sea.  It  is  a  wide,  level  plain  of  fields  and 
orchards.  Their  houses  are  good  arid  substan- 
tial, constructed  of  fine  hewn  stone.  Their 
yards  and  gardens  are  well  kept  and  ornament- 
ed, and  among  the  trees  here  and  there  are  a 
few  graceful  palms.  Across  the  bay  we  could 
see  the  town  of  Acre,  or  Ptolemais,  and  far  be- 
yond the  waters  of  the  bay,  to  the  east,  the 
hills  of  Galilee.  \ 

During  the  forenoon  I  determined  to  make  a 


214  A    Visit  to  Europe 

visit  to  the  convent.  My  companions  thought 
the  day  was  too  warm  and  would  not  accom- 
pany me,  so  I  set  out  alone  on  foot.  The  path, 
which  was  quite  good,  was  pleasantly  lined  the 
whole  distance  by  shrubs  and  trees,  so  that  when 
1  felt  the  heat  was  too  intense  I  always  found 
the  welcome  shade  of  a  tree  near  at  hand.  These 
occasions  of  rest  also  gave  an  opportunity  to 
enjoy  quietly  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the 
scenery.  From  this  holy  mountain  of  Carmel, 
the  mountain  of  God  and  the  mountain  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  many  a  pure  and  holy  eye  has 
lingered  for  the  last  time  on  the  blue,  beautiful 
sea,  and  over  the  green  plains  and  hills  of  Gali- 
lee, quickly  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  home  of 
eternal  rest  and  the  divine  delights  of  the  ce- 
lestial country.  It  is,  surely,  a  holy  place  in 
which  to  pass  a  lifetime,  and  a  divine  place 
from  which  to  pass  from  earth  to  heaven  \ 

I  soon  reached  the  monastery,  and  received  a 
most  cordial  welcome  from  the  Carmelite  monks. 
The  convent  of  Carmel  looks  out  from  its  heights 
over  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  from  its  influ- 
ence over  the  world.  I  became  acquainted  with 
an  aged  Carmelite  father,  wearing  a  long,  white, 
flowing  beard.  He  w.as  a  Belgian,  and  had  been 
on  the  missions  in  the  East  Indies  and  knew 
English  well.  He  delighted  in  making  eloquent 


and  the  Holy  Land.  215 

quotations  which  he  had  formerly  committed  to 
memory  from  Paradise  Lost.  In  about  half 
an  hour  after  my  arrival  my  two  friends,  hav- 
ing reconsidered  their  morning  resolutions,  ar- 
rived on  donkeys  at  the  monastery -gate.  Our 
venerable  Carmelite  guide  showed  us  over  the 
building.  The  most  interesting  part  was  the 
cave  of  the  prophet  Elias.  In  how  many  ways 
these  monks  of  Mount  Carmel,  who  have  gone 
forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  "  with  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Elias,"  have  proven  themselves  to 
be  the  true  sons  of  Elias,  quickened  by  a  new 
fire  consuming  and  working  wonders  to  the 
confusion  of  the  false  prophets  of  the  world, 
and  making  men  cry  out :  UO  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, Thou  art  the  Son  of  the  Living  God  !  and 

0  Mary,  thou  art  indeed  the  Mother  of  God  !  " 
We  also  knelt  before   the  altar  of   St.   Simon 
Stock,  who  lived  six  years  in  this  holy  retreat. 
We  were   cordially  invited  to   stay   over-night 
and  as  long  as  we  pleased,  but,  having  to  start 
for  Nazareth  that  afternoon,  we  could  not  ac- 
cept the  kind  invitation.    In  returning  to  Haifa 

1  was  glad  to  have  the  privilege  of  walking  down 
the  side  of  the  mountain  alone  and  in  silence, 
meditating  on   the   history   and    mysteries    of 
CarmelA 

Nazareth  is  about  eighteen  miles  distant  from 


216  A    Visit  to  Europe 

$ . 

Haifa,  between  which  places  is  a  fair  wagon- 
road,  over  a  level  country,  except  the  last  few 
miles  of  the  approach  to  Nazareth.  We  em- 
ployed a  member  of  the  German  colony  to  con- 
vey us,  and  were  pleased  to  see  on  what  good 
terms  many  of  these  simple  and  industrious  men 
apparently  live  with  their  Catholic  neighbors, 
especially  the  Catholic  monks.*  Fraternity 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  prominent  characteris- 
tics of  a  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Holy  Land.  In  saying  this  I  am  not  unmind- 
ful of  the  robberies  and  contentions  that  some- 
times take  place,  but  which  only  appear  to  serve 
to  unite  more  closely  the  larger  number  of  the 
people.  \ 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   LIGHT  OF  NAZARETH. 

LEAVING  Haifa,  for  some  distance  we  passed 
between  hedges  of  cactus  and  groves  of  various 
kinds  of  trees,  crossing  once  or  twice  the  an- 

*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  seen  it  stated,  on  seemingly 
good  authority,  that  members  of  the  colony  at  Haifa  have  in- 
terfered with  the  rights  and  property  of  the  monks  on  Carrnel. 
If  this  be  so,  it  would  very  much  detract  from  the  estimate  that 
I  formed  of  them  ;  but  I  should  hope  that  not  all  the  colony 
joined  in  any  such  injusticeA 


Haifa,.  'air  wagon- 

road,  over  y,  except  the  last  few 

miles  of  the  :li  to  Nazareth.  em- 

ployed a  r  »f  the  German  colony 

vey  us.  used  to  see  on  what  good 

ten;  of  these  simple  and  industrious  men 

aly  live  with  their  Catholic   neighbors, 
ily    the     Catholic    monks.*     Fraternity 
ns  to  be  one  of   the  prominent  characteris- 
tics of  a  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Holy  Land.     1  kis'I  a*m  not  unmind- 

ful of  the  rob!  that  some- 

times take  place,  but  which  only  appear  to  s 
to  unite  more  closely  the  larger  nur  the 

^people.  \ 


CHAPTER  XW 

THE  LI«- 

ro  Haifa,  for  some  distance  we  passed 
s  of  cactus  and  gr  ions 

ossing  an- 


*s  :ng^y 

good  liaifa  ha 

terfered  \v  !.ne^ 

If  tin 

I  formed  of   i  ! 

joined  in  any  such  i 


and  the  Holy  Land.  1  \  7 

cient  river  Kishon,  and  continued  through,  its 
wide,  fertile  valley  for  some  miles  along  the 
base  of  Mount  Carmel.  At  the  present  time 
Galilee  seems  much  more  verdant,  fertile,  and 
well  timbered  than  Judea.  In  the  valley  of 
the  Kishon  we  saw  many  flocks,  herds,  and 
cultivated  fields.  The  villages  along  the  way, 
however,  made  but  very  humble  pretensions, 
worthy  of  humble  Galilee.  A  portion  of  the 
country  is  not  unlike  what  we  call  the  "oak 
openings"  of  our  Western  States.  Other  parts 
of  it  are  very  dissimilar.  I  believe  that  it 
would  be  a  good  country  for  the  settlement, 
farms,  cities,  and  homes,  of  fifty  thousand  in- 
dustrious and  courageous  European  and  Ame- 
rican Catholic  Christians,  who  could  thus  live 
in  the  midst  of  the  constant  sacred  associa- 
tions of  the  Holy  Family.  \  But  why  indulge 
in  such  dreams  ?  Nevertheless  they  may  have 
been  the  dreams,  in  another  form,  that  led  the 
Crusaders  to  offer  up  their  lives  by  sickness 
and  in  battle  for  the  restoration  of  the  Holy 
Land  to  Christ.  The  Cross  of  Christ  be- 
fore our  eyes  leads  us  to  imaginations  and 
desires  which  never  on  this  earth  will  be  ful- 
filled, but  which  shall  be  realized  in  perfect 
form  and  being  in  heaven.  Having  passed  out 
of  the  valley  of  the  Kishon,  we  entered  a 


218  A    Visit  to  Europe 

woody  tract  which  extended  some  distance 
without  any  sign  of  habitation.  After  a  while 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon  appeared  on  our  right. 
It  is  called  also  the  Great  Plain,  the  Plain  of 
Jezreel,  and  Plain  of  Megeddo,  and  was  one 
of  the  great  battle-plains  of  Jewish  history. 
We  passed  through  various  estates  and  vil- 
lages, near  most  of  which  extensive  piles  and 
stacks  of  grain  were  waiting  for  the  threshers. 
Darkness  came  on  some  time  before  we  reached 
Nazareth,  and  towns  were  pointed  out  to  us 
by  lights  seen  shining  in  the  distance.  One 
light  shone  out,  far  away  beyond  the  plain 
of  Esdraelon,  towards  the  south ;  we  were  told 
that  it  was  in  the  "city  of  Nairn,"  where  our 
Lord  restored  to  life  the  widow's  son.  O 
mild  and  bright  light  of  the  mercy  and  love 
of  Jesus  Christ  !  Soon  afterward,  to  the  left, 
near  the  highway,  appeared  the  town  of  Yafa, 
the  Japhie  of  the  book  of  Josue,  which  was 
the  native  place  of  the  holy  Apostles  "  James 
and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee"  ;  our  driver 
called  it  St.  James.  We  were  now  entering 
the  region  where  the  Apostles  lived  and  toiled 
before  they  were  called  to  be  the  disciples  of 
the  Lord  ;  in  which  our  Lord  also  lived,  and 
chose  the  sons  of  His  own  simple,  humble 
neighbors  to  be  His  Apostles,  the  teachers  of 


and  tke  Holy  Land.  219 

the  wise,  and  the  spiritual  conquerors  and 
rulers  of  nations.  Not  long  after  the  lights 
of  Nazareth  appeared.  How  can  I  express  my 
feelings  as  we  approached  Nazareth  ?  There 
is  hardly  a  square  rod  of  .  ground  in  it  or 
about  it  that  has  not  been  sanctified  by  the 
footsteps  of  Jesus,  our  Saviour,  in  His  child- 
hood and  manhood..  And  where  He  walked, 
Mary  His  Mother  walked,  and  Joseph  the 
carpenter.  In  connection  with  Nazareth  *I  love 
to  use  these  names,  so  simple  and  yet  so 
powerful— Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph.  How 
many  times  did  the  lights  of  Nazareth  bring 
joy  to  our  Lord  and  His  weary  disciples  as 
they  drew  near  home  !  We  rode  into  the  city 
and  through  the  streets  until  we  came  before 
the  portal  of  the  Franciscan  hospice,  which  is 
situated  not  far  from  the  church  of  the  An- 
nunciation. Our  coming  was  in  some  way 
known,  so  we  were  not  unexpected  guests,  and, 
although  we  were  somewhat  late,  supper  was 
almost  immediately  ready.  Here  we  found  the 
same  kind  welcome  as  elsewhere,  the  last,  per- 
haps, which  we  ever  should  receive  from  our 
kind  entertainers  and  friends,  the  Franciscans 
of  the  Holy  Land.  Their  reward  awaits  them 
in  heaven.\ 
We  retired  to  our  rooms,  to  awaken  in  the 


22O  A    Visit  to  Europe 

morning  to  see  Nazareth  for  the  first  time  by 
daylight.  For  a  long  time  I  could  do  nothing 
but  look  out  of  the  window  and  watch  the 
men  going  to  their  work,  and  the  women  going 
to  the  fountain  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the 
children  at  play  or  accompanying  their  mo- 
thers, and  think  of  the  same  scenes  more  than 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  Many  also  were 
going  to  the  church  to  assist  at  one  of  the 
early  Masses.  Nazareth  contains  a  population 
variously  estimated  at  from  six  to  ten  thou- 
sand. Of  these  from  fifteen  hundred  to  twen- 
ty-five hundred  are  Catholics  of  the  Latin, 
Greek,  and  Maronite  rites,  all  of  whom  have 
churches.  The  remaining  population  is  about 
equally  divided  between  Greek  schismatics  and 
Moslems.  The  greater  part  of  the  town  lies 
on  the  steep  slope  of  a  hill,  and  the  re- 
mainder on  a  level  at  the  base,  with  a  beau- 
tiful, green,  shady  valley  immediately  at  the 
east.  It  is  surrounded  by  mountains,  from 
some  of  which  an  extensive  view  is  obtained. 
As  soon  as  we  were  ready  we  were  conducted 
to  the  church  of  the  Annunciation,  where  we 
were  to  have  the  happy  privilege  of  saying 
Mass  at  the  altar  of  the  Annunciation,  on  the 
very  spot  where  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son 
of  God  took  place,  when  the  Angel  Gabriel  de- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  221 

clared  unto  Mary:  "Behold,  thou  shalt  con- 
ceive in  thy  womb,  and  shalt  bring  forth  a 
son;  and  thou  shalt  call  His  name  Jesus." 
We  entered  the  church,  and  very  soon  saw 
that,  in  architectural  design,  and  artistic  finish, 
it  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  churches  in 
Palestine.  Above,  at  the  farther  end,  was  a 
high  altar,  but  below  it,  by  steps  leading  down 
from  the  body  of  the  church,  we  descended 
to  the  chapel  of  the  Annunciation.  Beneath 
the  altar  of  the  chapel  are  these  words:  "Hie 
Verbum  caro  factum  est" — "Here  the  Word 
was  made  flesh."  Above  the  portals  of  the 
grand  Christian  basilica  which  the  Empress 
Helena  had  erected  here,  she  had  these  words 
inscribed:  "This  is  the  ground  whereon  the 
foundation  of  human  Redemption  was  laid." 
This  chapel  and  altar  stand  on  the  rock  where 
once  stood  the  Holy  House,  in  which  dwelt 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  afterward  the  Holy 
Family.  We  had  the  privilege,  after  our  re- 
turn to  Italy,  of  saying  Mass  in  Loreto  in 
the  Holy  House,  which  was  translated  from 
Nazareth  by  miracle.\ 

The  Blessed  Virgin  belonged  to  a  family  of 
Judea  that  seemed  to  have  partially  settled 
in  Galilee.  It  is  generally  believed  that  she 
was  born  in  Jerusalem,  where  her  parents 


222  A    Visit  to  Europe 

lived  for  a  time,  just  within  the  walls  at  St. 
Stephen's  gate,  and  where  the  church  of  St. 
Ann  now  stands.  As  already  mentioned,  the 
tombs  of  the  parents  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
are  down  in  the  valley  below  the  same  gate. 
It  is  also  commonly  believed  that  both  St. 
Joachim  and  St.  Ann  were  born  in  Galilee,  in 
Sepphoris,  a  little  more  than  three  miles  north 
of  Nazareth ;  although  some  ancient  writers 
claim  with  good  reason  that  St.  Ann  was  a 
native  of  Bethlehem.  / 

It  is  piously  related  that  St.  Ann,  born  in 
Bethlehem  and  retaining  her  virginity  until 
Jier  twentieth  year,  was  informed  by  the  An- 
gel Gabriel  that  she  should  go  to  the  temple 
in  Jerusalem,  where  she  would  meet  St.  Joa- 
chim, whom  she  should  marry.  St.  Joachim 
was  also  informed  by  a  messenger  of  heaven 
that  he  should  likewise  go  to  the  temple, 
where  he  would  meet  St.  Ann,  who  should 
become  his  wife.  They  were  both  obedient  to 
the  will  of  God,  although  they  kept  the  com- 
munications made  to  them  secret  from  each 
other ;  but  for  twenty  years  their  marriage 
was  without  fruit.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
St.  Joachim,  having  brought  his  offerings  to 
the  temple,  while  praying  in  the  court  of  the 
Israelites  was  cast  pat  by  the  priest  Issacher 


and  the  Holy  Land. 


as  a  dead  branch  of  Juda.  He  went  forth 
meekly,  but  prayed  that  he  might  return  the 
following  year,  bearing  offerings  and  a  hope 
for  the  family  of  David.  At  this  time  St. 
Ann  received  a  second  vision  from  the  Angel 
Gabriel,  in  which  it  was  revealed  to  her  that 
she  would  be  the  mother  of  the  Virgin  Im- 
maculate, who  would  be  the  Mother  of  God. 
How  beautiful  and  marked  by  divine  good- 
ness and  love  are  the  revelations  of  Christ  to 
His  saints ! 

The  following  immediate  genealogy  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  as  given  by  St.  Hippolytus, 
who  received  the  martyr's  crown  A.D.  252,  is 
interesting  :  / 

"Before  Herod's  coming  to  the  throne  of 
Judea,  under  the  reign  of  Cleopatra  in  Egypt, 
and  Carsoparia  in  Persia,  there  dwelt  in  Beth- 
lehem a  priest  named  Mathan,  of  the  race  of 
David  by  Solomon.  By  his  wife,  Mary,  he 
had  three  daughters.  The  eldest,  called  Mary, 
after  her  mother,  married  at  Bethlehem,  and 
had  a  daughter  named  Salome.  The  second, 
called  Sabe,  also  married  in  Bethlehem,  and  was 
the  mother  of  St.  Elizabeth,  the  mother  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist.  The  third,  Ann,  the  mother 
of  Mary,  of  whom  Jesus  Christ  was  born,  dwelt' 
in  Nazareth  with  an  Israelite  named  Joachim." 


224  A    Visit  to  Europe 

We  said  the  votive  Mass  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion, and  had  the  joy  of  repeating  the  angeli- 
cal salutation  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  that 
very  place  where  Mary  first  listened  to  it,  as 
it  was  borne,  not  from  earth  to  heaven,  but 
from  the  royal  court  of  heaven  to  the  abode 
of  humility  on  earth,  by  the  resplendent  mes- 
senger of  God.  Adjoining  this  chapel,  but  sep- 
arated from  it,  is  the  chapel  and  altar  of 
St.  Joseph,  with  the  inscription:  "Hie  erat 
subditus  ill /«?"—"  Here  he  was  subject  to 
them."  Near  by  is  the  kitchen  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  where,  as  well  as  in  the  workshop  of 
her  holy  spouse,  labor  was  sanctified./ 

As  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  and 
the  church  of  the  Nativity,  so  here,  numer- 
ous lamps  and  candles  are  always  burning, 
lighting  up  dim  and  dark  places  with  a 
strange  and  holy  beauty ;  and  silence  reigns 
everywhere,  except  broken  by  the  musical, 
solemn  chant  of  the  Divine  Office  or  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  And,  filled  with  a  mys- 
terious awe  and  love,  the  soul  bows  down  be- 
fore its  God  in  praise  arid  rapture,  and  cries 
out:  "This  is  the  House  of  God  and  the  Gate 
of  Heaven."  How  many  holy  feet  have  press- 
ed these  pavements  and  this  ground  since  the 
time  when  the  Holy  Ghost  overshadowed  this 


and  the  Holy  Land.  225 

place  with  His  power,  and  the  Son  of  God 
"bowed  down  the  heavens  and  descended," 
and  the  Eternal  Father  looked  down  with  a 
complacent  eye,  and  loved  the  place  which 
had  witnessed  the  great  mystery  of  the  Incar- 
nation !  The  Blessed  Mother  of  God,  her  holy 
spouse  St.  Joseph,  Gabriel,  the  arch-angelic 
messenger  of  Heaven,  St.  Ann,  St.  Joachim, 
and  all  the  holy  Apostles  of  our  Lord,  knelt 
here  and  adored.  An  ancient  tradition  says 
that  "immediately  on  the  Ascension  of  our 
Lord  into  heaven,  the  Apostles  and  the  prim- 
itive faithful  turned  the  house  into  an  ora- 
tory, wherein  they  repaired  to  pray,  and  that 
they  kept  it  in  great  veneration."  Here  St. 
Helena  came  and  built  a  magnificent  basilica. 
Besides  the  many  great  saints  who  came  here 
in  the  following  centuries  after  St.  Helena,  in 
later  times  came  two  most  eminent  servants 
of  God,  and  wept  and  prayed  on  this  sacred 
spot :  St.  Louis  of  France,  the  great  crusader, 
and  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  who  chose  the  Holy 
Places  for  his  earthly  inheritance  and  the  heri- 
tage of  his  Order.  And  since  the  time  that 
this  holy  spot  was  last  visited  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  St.  John,  probably  no  saint  has 
ever  here  prostrated  himself  with  a  more  pro- 
found spirit  of  adoration,  deeper  sentiments  of 


226  A    Visit  to  Europe 

love  for  the  Divine  Child  Jesus  and  His  holy 
poverty,  and  more  ardent  transports  of  spir- 
itual joy  than  St.  Francis.  / 

After  Mass  one  other  member  of  our  party 
and  myself  determined  to  visit  Mount  Thabor. 
The  other  member  preferred  to  stay  in  Naza- 
reth. We  had  only  a  short  time  left  before 
taking  the  steamer  for  the  return  voyage.  It 
was  our  first  intention  to  go  to  the  Sea  of 
Galilee ;  but  our  experience  of  the  valley  of 
the  Jordan  in  summertime  had  already  been 
sufficient.  We  also  had  intended  to  visit  Bei- 
rout  and  Damascus,  and  return  to  Italy  by 
way  of  Smyrna  and  Athens.  But  on  account 
of  the  date  of  the  sailing  of  the  steamers,  and 
their  tardy  connections,  reluctantly  we  had  to 
conclude  to  retrace  our  old  route  Two  of  us, 
therefore,  determined  to  get  as  good  a  view  as 
possible  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  all  the  sur- 
rounding country,  from  such  a  commanding 
position  as  the  summit  of  the  "  high  moun- 
tain" of  the  Transfiguration.\ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"HIS   OWN   COUNTRY." 

IT  was  yet  early  in  the  morning  when,  mount- 
ed on  our  horses,  and  with  a  dragoman  to  ac- 


and  the  Holy  Land,  227 

company  us,  we  started  on  our  way.  Mount 
Thabor  lies  about  six  miles  to  the  s0uth  of  east 
of  Nazareth.  The  country  intervening  is  very 
hilly,  and  the  road,  or  rather  path,  very  uneven. 
Just  as  we  left  the  town  we  passed  by  the  foun- 
tain of  the  Madonna,  where  many  women  were 
filling  their  earthen  jugs  with  water.  It  is  the 
only  spring  of  good  water  in  Nazareth,  and 
every  hour  of  the  day,  on  all  the  streets,  women 
are  seen  going  to  and  returning  from  the  foun- 
tain with  the  water- jars  upon  their  heads./ 

We  know  but  little  of  Nazareth  before  the 
coining  of  Christ,  but  we  know  that  in  His  time 
the  same  daily  scene  was  witnessed.  And  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  during  her  long  residence 
here,  must  have  gone  daily  to  this  fountain, 
often  accompanied  by  the  Divine  Child  Jesus. 

From  the  base  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Thabor 
the  path  is  very  steep  and  rocky,  and  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  dangerous,  especially  in  the  descent. 
Sometimes  for  a  rod  or  more  there  would  be 
only  a  smooth,  precipitous  rock,  with  hardly  a 
place  on  which  the  horse's  foot  could  catch,  so 
that  its  feet  would  slide  some  distance,  and  by 
a  slight  mishap  one  would  be  hurled  down  the 
precipice.  It  takes  one  hour  to  ascend  or  de- 
scend the  mountain,  which  is  in  the  form  of  a 
truncated  cone  and  rises  more  than  two  thou- 


228  A    Visit  to  Europe 

sand  feet  high.  It  stands  almost  entirely  alone 
at  the  east  side  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  from 
which  it  abruptly  rises.  It  is  covered  with 
shrubs  and  trees,  and  abounds  in  game.  The 
entire  summit  is  surrounded  by  an  ancient  wall ; 
and  the  level  plateau  at  the  top  contains  schis- 
matic Greek  and  Catholic  convents,  and  some 
massive  ruins,  evidently  of  a  primitive  church 
and  of  the  time  of  the  Crusaders.  It  is  claimed 
by  some  that  a  town  existed  here  more  tlian  a 
thousand  years  before  the  coming  of  Christ, 
which  met  with  the  various  successes  and  re- 
verses of  human  fortune.  Whether  this  be  true 
or  not,  there  is  nothing  in  history  to  indicate 
that,  in  the  time  of  our  Lord,  there  was  any 
such  settlement  here  as  to  preclude  this  being 
the  place  mentioned  in  the  evangelical  narra- 
tive of  the  Transfiguration. 

The  Franciscans  have  a  hospice  here  in  which 
there  were  only  two  members  of  their  order. 
Several  persons  besides  ourselves  were  likewise 
on  a  visit,  and  among  them  a  very  gaily  cos- 
tumed and  gentle-mannered  Asiatic  young  gen- 
tleman from  Haifa.  He  was  very  agreeable  to- 
wards us,  and  tried  to  make  our  brief  stay 
pleasant  and  interesting.  / 

Out  among  the  ruins  we  wandered  to  the  place 
that  beheld  the  Transfiguration.  The  scene  that 


and  the  Holy  Land.  229 

was  presented  to  the  eyes  was  magnificent.  To- 
wards the  east  lay  the  beautiful  Sea  of  Galilee 
glistening  in  the  sun,  and  nearer  fo  us  the  hill 
of  the  Beatitudes,  where  Christ  preached  the 
"  Sermon  on  the  Mount";  at  the  base  of  which 
was  the  field  where  His  disciples  plucked  the 
ears  of  corn  as  they  walked  on  the  Sabbath 
day.  As  I  looked  down  on  the  shores  of  that 
sea  and  over  that  Eastern  scene,  the  quiet  and 
repose  of  that  Sabbath  day  still  seemed  to  lin- 
ger. Beyond  the  lake  were  the  fortress-like 
mountains  of  Hauran,  in  the  ancient  land  of 
Basban,  and  south  of  them  the  mountains  of 
Gilead.  To  the  north  of  the  lake  appeared  the 
city  of  Safed,  situated  high  on  the  mountains, 
and  so  prominent  to  the  eye  that  its  visibility 
seems  its  chief  characteristic.  It  is  the  "city 
seated  on  a  mountain  that  cannot  be  hid."  Far- 
ther north  were  the  ranges  of  Lebanon  and  the 
Great  Hermon  :  "  Thabor  and  Hermon  shall  re- 
joice in  thy  name."  To  the  south  and  west'was 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  In  every  direction  nu- 
merous villages  dotted  the  hill- sides  and  plains. 
Among  them  to  the  south,  across  the  plain  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills,  was  Endor,  where  the  witch 
called  up  the  spirit  of  Samuel  that  Saul  might 
consult  him  and  learn  of  the  disasters  about  to 
overwhelm  him  in  the  battle  of  Gelboe  ;  and  to 


230  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  southwest  was  Nairn,  whose  lights  we  had 
seen  on  our  way  to  Nazareth.  Beyond  them 
was  Little  Hermon,  and  still  farther  beyond 
were  the  mountains  of  Gelboe  (or  Gilboa).  The 
range  of  Carmel  stood  boldly  and  grandly 
against  the  western  sky.  The  wide-extended 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  even  in  summer,  appeared 
very  fertile,  green,  and  beautiful.  At  the  foot  of 
Thabor,  to  the  northwest,  nestled  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Debbora  the  prophetess  ;  for  it  was  here 
that  Barac  the  son  of  Albinoem,  and  Debbora 
the  prophetess,  leading  down  the  mountain-side 
the  army  of  the  Israelites,  met  and  destroyed 
the  hosts  of  Sisara.  This  view  takes  in  a  large 
portion  of  northern  and  central  Palestine  ;  and 
this  vicinity  has  been  the  scene  of  battles  be- 
tween the  Jews  and  Romans,  the  Moslems  and 
Crusaders,  and  Napoleon  and  the  Turks.  With 
the  eyes  of  the  memory  and  imagination  I  seem- 
ed to  see  all  these  events  passing  before  me,  one 
after  the  other,  in  grand  historical  procession, 
until  the  mountain  seemed  left  alone  in  its  soli- 
tude. \ 

The  sun  shone  as  brightly,  but  it  Hashed  not 
upon  the  bright  arms  and  armor  of  contending 
hosts ;  the  shouts  of  battle  arid  of  victory  had 
died  away,  and  the  last  notes  of  the  victorious 
canticle  of  Debbora  and  Barac,  "  So  let  Thy 


and  the  Holy  Land.  231 

enemies  perish,  O  Lord  :  but  let  them  that  love 
Thee  shine,  as  the  sun  shineth  in*  his  rising," 
had  melted  away  into  eternal  silence,  or  to 
burst  forth  again  in  the  eternal  harmonies  of 
heaven.  And  while  the  top  of  the  mountain 
yet  seemed  to  belong  to  earth,  the  bright  at- 
mosphere a  few  feet  higher  seemed  bathed  in 
the  sunlight  of  God's  glory  ;  and  in  its  midst 
three  forms  appeared,  ''with  garments  white  and 
glittering  as  snow,  and  faces  shining  as  the 
sun";  and  on  the  top  of  the  mount  three  hum- 
ble forms  bowed  down,  men  clothed  in  the 
poor,  coarse  garb  of  Galilean  peasants,  whose 
poor,  thin  faces  were  pale  with  fear.  The  pov- 
erty of  earth  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  glory  of 
heaven,  and  was  prostrated  to  the  earth  in  ter- 
ror, and  the  peaceful  words  from  the  throne  of 
God  only  transfixed  their  hearts  with  a  new  and 
greater  fear.  But  how  quickly  it  passed  away 
when  Jesus,  their  Lord,  touched  them,  saying  : 
u  Arise,  fear  not."  O  happy  moment,  when  the 
humble  heart  that  has  suffered  long  years  from 
doubts  and  fears  shall  hear  the  reassuring  words 
of  its  Saviour  !  Great  will  be  the  change  in  that 
instant !  / 

In  whatever  direction  we  turned  our  eyes  we 
saw  some  road  where  Christ  walked,  some  place 
where  He  taught  by  parable,  revealed  a  new 


232  A    Visit  to  Europe 

truth,  or  performed  a  miracle.  This  was  in- 
deed "His  own  country." 

Having  partaken  of  the  dinner  prepared  for 
us  at  the  hospice,  we  returned  to  Nazareth. 
We  met  numerous  parties  of  Bedouins  on 
horseback  wending  their  way  towards  the  east 
over  the  uneven  paths  between  the  rocks,  and 
now  and  then  a  camel- train  bearing  burdens  of 
various  kinds  and  going  in  the  same  direction. 

On  our  return,  although  weary,  we  started 
out  to  visit  the  holy  places  of  Nazareth.  Next 
in  interest  to  the  house  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
where  the  church  of  the  Annunciation  stands, 
is  the  workshop  of  St.  Joseph,  which  was  his 
home  before  his  espousal  to  Mary,  and  which 
was  then  and  afterwards  his  workshop,  where 
our  Lord  as  a  child  and  as  a  young  man  daily 
assisted  him.  It  was  on  the  way  from  the 
Holy  House  to  the  fountain.  How  frequently 
then  did  the  Blessed  Mother  pass  this  way  and 
stop  here  and  rest,  and  converse  with  them  as 
they  toiled  for  their  daily  bread !  f 

The  carpenter-shop  of  St.  Joseph  is  very  at- 
tractive to  me.  In  it,  as  in  the  home  of  Mary, 
human  labor  was  sanctified.  When  our  first 
parents  were  driven  out  of  Eden  they  had  been 
cursed  to  toil ;  it  was  now  changed  into  a  bless- 
ing, and  those  most  favored  of  Heaven  were  ap- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  233 

pointed  to  the — humanly  speaking — hard  lot  of 
daily  toil  and  poverty.  St.  Joseph  is  the  great 
model  and  patron  of  workingmerf,  and  under 
his  patronage  Jesus  and  Mary  will  change  home 
into  heaven,  and  the  blessings  of  toil  into  the 
treasures  of  eternity.  St.  Joseph's  workshop 
was  the  model  workshop  of  the  world.  The 
tools  he  used  were  perhaps  very  primitive  and 
clumsy,  and  his  income  was  probably  very 
scanty.  But  his  arm  was  willing  and  his  heart 
simple  and  sincere  ;  his  life  was  honest,  and  his 
home  purest  of  the  pure.  He  was  a  true  friend 
to  his  neighbor,  and  Jesus  and  Mary  loved  him 
as  he  loved  them.  Oh  !  who,  in  our  day,  can 
preach  rightly  to  the  workingmen  of  the  world, 
except  he  preach  from  the  workshop  of  St.  Jo- 
seph? For  "him  God  sanctified  in  his  faith  and 
meekness,  and  chose  him  out  of  all  flesh.  He 
glorified  him  in  the  sight  of  kings,  and  gave 
him  commandments  in  the  sight  of  his  people, 
and  showed  him  His  glory."  The  labor  ques- 
tion can  be  solved  only  by  aid  of  the  light  that 
still  burns  on  the  altar  of  the  workshop  of  St. 
Joseph  in  Nazareth.  The  site  and  chapel  now 
belong  to  the  Franciscans.  The  chapel  is  an 
humble  one,  but  it  has  a  beautiful  marble  altar, 
beneath  which  are  the  words:  "Hie  erat  sub- 
dt'tus  z7&V— "Here  He  was  subject  to  them." 


234  A    Visit  to  Europe 

We  next  went  to  the  schismatic  Greek  church 
of  the  Archangel  Gabriel.  It  is  situated  over 
the  spring  which  supplies  water  to  the  foun- 
tain of  the  Madonna,  to  which  it  is  conveyed 
by  means  of  a  conduit.  According  to  the  Greek 
tradition,  here  the  archangel  appeared  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  who  afterwards  retired  to  her 
house,  where  she  received  the  heavenly  mes- 
senger and  gave  her  consent  to  be  the  Mother 
of  God.  We  drank  some  water  from  the  spring, 
and  then  started  for  the  western  part  of  the  city. 
In  passing  through  the  streets  I  noticed  that 
Nazareth  is  not  an  over-clean  place — in  fact,  in 
parts  it  is  rather  dirty.  But  I  did  not  notice 
any  of  that  extraordinary  filth  that  is  spoken 
of  by  some  writers,  a  number  of  whom  are  Ca- 
tholics. It*  a  man  is  looking  for  filth  I  suppose 
he  could  find  it  in  almost  any  city  or  village 
of  the  world.  The  Oriental  cities  and  towns 
are  certainly  not  any  too  clean.  But  where  some 
writers  hunted  up  their  piles  of  filth  I  cannot 
imagine.  It  is  natural  for  some  persons  to  find 
fault  with  everything,  but  they  are  not  usu- 
ally very  honest  writers.  Their  own  bile  makes 
everything  look  bilious  to  them,  and  they  paint 
all  their  pictures  for  others  in  the  same  un- 
natural colors.  \ 

In  the  western  and  upper  part  of  the  town 


and  the  Holy  Land.  235 

is  the  chapel  of  Mensa  Christi,  or  Table  of 
Christ.  It  contains  a  large,  thick^  flat  stone, 
ten  by  twelve  feet,  in  the  shape  of  a  table,  on 
which,  it  is  said,  Christ  ate  with  His  Apostles 
both  before  and  after  the  Resurrection.  Near 
it  is  the  Maronite  church.  On  our  way  back 
to  the  hospice,  but  nearer  the  centre  of  the 
town,  is  the  synagogue,  a  house  like  building, 
which  is  now  the  church  of  the  Greek  Catho- 
lics: "And  He  came  to  Nazareth,  where  He 
was  brought  up :  and  He  went  into  the  syna- 
gogue, according  to  His  custom,  on  the  Sabbath 
day ;  and  He  rose  up  to  read."  The  book  of 
Isaias  the  prophet  was  delivered  to  Him,  from 
which  He  read  a  prophecy  relating  to  Himself, 
and,  having  given  up  the  book,  sat  down:  "And 
the  eyes  of  all  the  synagogue  were  fixed  on  Him. 
And  He  began  to  say  to  them  :  -This  day  is  fulfill- 
ed this  Scripture  in  your  ears."  "And  they  won- 
dered at  the  words  of  grace  that  proceeded  from 
His  mouth,  and  they  said :  Is  not  this  the  son 
of  Joseph?"  or,  according  to  another  Evangel- 
ist: "Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of 
Mary?"  We  had  not  time  to  visit  the  Precipice, 
nor  the  chapel  of  Tremor,  where  the  Nazarenes 
brought  Christ,  "  that  they  might  cast  Him  down 
headlong,"  and  seeing  which,  in  the  distance, 
His  holy  Mother  was  seized  with  a  great  fear./ 


236  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Having  returned  to  the  hospice,  and  having 
made  a  farewell  visit  to  the  church  of  the  An- 
nunciation, we  started  back  to  Haifa.  Some  of 
the  children  followed  us  out  of  the  city  for 
backsheesh.  We  passed  through  the  country  by 
daylight,  which  we  had  not  seen  before  on  ac- 
count of  the  darkness.  We  met  many  loads  of 
grain  and  straw  on  donkeys  and  camels  going 
to  the  city  ;  and  at  a  fountain  about  a  mile  out 
of  Nazareth  a  Bedouin  wanted  us  to  give  him 
tobacco,  with  which  request  the  smoker  of  the 
party  readily  complied./ 

The  afternoon  was  pleasant,  and  towards 
sunset  we  halted  for  a  brief  rest  under  the 
shade  of  some  fine  trees  on  the  borders  of 
the  valley  of  the  Kisson,  or  Kishon,  and  not 
far  distant  from  the  side  of  Carmel.  Some  na- 
tive men,  in  groups  along  the  road,  were  re- 
turning from  the  work  of  the  day.  A  few  vil- 
lages with  trees  near  them  appeared  as  if 
asleep  at  the  base  of  the  mountains.  All  na- 
ture was  in  a  state  of  repose,  or  so  quiet  in 
its  movements  and  manifestations  of  life  that 
its  tranquillity  was  undisturbed.  We  should 
soon  bid  adieu  to  Palestine,  and  this  peaceful 
hour  at  the  close  of  a  day  sacred  in  our  lives 
would  soon  pass  into  a  holy  twilight,  and  the 
sable  curtains  of  night  would  quickly  descend 


and  the  Holy  Land.  237 

to  shut  from  our  sight  the  fading  scenes  of 
the  last  day  of  our  pilgrimage  ur  the  Holy 
Land./ 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  interested 
in  ancient  biblical  narrative  I  will  state  that 
during  our  journey  through  Palestine,  Jaffa 
and  the  road  towards  Jerusalem  for  some  dis- 
tance lay  in  the  portion  of  country  allotted 
to  the  tribe  of  Dan,  while  to  the  south  along 
the  sea-shore  our  eyes  •  rested  on  the  land  of 
the  Philistines,  to  the  east  of  which  appeared 
the  land  of  Juda,  and  on  the  north  we  be- 
held the  hills  and  mountains  of  Ephraim.  Je- 
rusalem and  the  road  to  Jericho  are  in  Ben- 
jamin, while  Bethlehem  is  in  Juda.  Across 
the  river  from  the  plain  of  Jericho  we  saw  the 
portions  of  Ruben  and  Gad.  In  the  north, 
Nazareth  and  nearly  the  whole  of  Galilee 
through  which  we  passed  were  in  Zabulon, 
although  Mount  Thabor  is  on  the  borders  of 
Issachar,  and  the  principal  part  of  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon  belonged  to  the  same  tribe. 
Across  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  as  well  as  beyond 
the  mountains  of  Carmel,  lay  the  land  of  Ma 
nnsses.  Towards  the  north  our  eyes  wandered 
over  the  lands  of  Nephtali  and  Aser,  which 
latter  we  entered  as  we  approached  the  sea- 
coast,  for  "it  reacheth  to  Carmel  by  the  sea.^J, 


238  A    Visit  to  Europe 

• 

CHAPTER  XX. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

IT  was  rather  late  at  night  when  we  arrived 
at  the  Hotel  Carmel,  of  the  German  colony, 
and  we  rose  early  the  next  morning  to  take 
the  boat,  which,  however,  did  not  start  until 
noon.  / 

Nearly  all  the  afternoon  we  sailed  down  the 
coast  of  Palestine,  looking  away  over  the  sea 
and  intervening  space  at  its  blue  mountain 
ranges,  dreaming  dreams  of  commingled  joy, 
sadness,  and  solemnity.  The  mountain  of  Car- 
mel, ever  grand,  seen  from  sea  or  land,  gradu- 
ally sunk  beneath  the  wave.  But  the  moun- 
tains of  Ephraim,  and  lastly  the  mountains  of 
Judea,  had  appeared,  and  I  said  to  myself: 
"  This  is  the  last  time  that  I  shall  look  upon 
the  sacred  mountains  of  the  Holy  Land." 
What  a  strange  old  land  it  seemed  to  me ! 
And  I  could  do  nothing  but  look  and  dream 
until  night  settled  down  upon  the  sea  and 
land,  and  we  could  see  nothing  but  the  lights 
of  Jaffa.  The  next  morning  we  were  still  in 
the  port  of  Jaffa,  but  set  sail  during  the  day.* 
We  watched  the  mountains  until  they  disap- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  239 


peared,  and  then  said,  in  our  hearth,  "Fape- 
well!"  We  were  leaving  Palestine,  but  we 
were  returning  home.  / 

When  we  were  well  under  way  we  noticed 
a  Franciscan  father  on  deck  reading  a  news- 
paper, and,  taking  closer  observations,  we  saw 
that  he  was  reading  the  New  York  Freeman '  s 
Journal.  Seeing  one  of  our  favorite  American 
Catholic  papers,  we  drew  nearer,  and  recog- 
nized a  good  Franciscan  that  we  had  met  in 
Jerusalem,  to  whom  I  had  twice  made  my  con- 
fession. Our  first  greeting  over,  we  learned 
that  he  had  been  transferred  to  Alexandria. 
He  had  been  in  the  Holy  Land,  about  a  year, 
having  been  previously  many  years  in  Ameri- 
ca. He  related  many  things  of  interest  to  us 
about  Palestine,  its  cities,  people,  and  religious 
condition ;  the  relations  of  the  various  religious 
bodies— Latins,  Greeks,  Armenians,  and  others. 
Catholic  and  schismatics  of  various  rites  ;  and 
the  difficulties,  hardships,  trials,  and  consola- 
tions of  the  guardians  of  the  sacred  places. 
He  said  that  the  authorities  at  Rome  seemed 
to  favor  the  Oriental  rites  in  the  East  for  a 
reason  readily  perceived.  He  said,  if  there  was 
any  difference,  that  the  Greek  Catholics  seemed 
more  tenacious  of  their  ancient  rites  and  disci- 
pline than  the  schismatics.  He  informed  us 


240  A    Visit  to  Europe 

that  a  Greek,  Armenian,  or  other  schismatic, 
who  wishes  to  become  a  convert,  is  not  allowed 
to  become  a  Latin,  but  is  obliged  to  become  a 
Catholic  of  his  own  rite,  whero  a  congregation 
of  his  own  rite  exists.  How  truly  Catholic  is 
the  Church  of  God,  that  takes  into  considera- 
tion all  the  prejudices,  national  traditions,  and, 
above  all,  religious  customs  held  in  just  rev- 
erence by  the  nations  of  the  earth !  We  were 
introduced,  on  board  the  steamer,  to  the  post- 
master at  Jaffa,  who  is  an  Arab  Catholic  of  the 
Greek  rite./ 

To  a  Catholic  from  Europe  or  America  it 
seems  strange  to  find  in  the  Orient  Catholics 
and  Catholic  churches  of  so  many  different 
rites  in  the  same  city,  and  each  rite  under  a 
different  local  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction.  The 
ancient  city  of  Damascus  might  be  taken  as 
only  a  fair  example  of  this  frequent  occur- 
rence. In  1840  its  population  wras  probably 
under-estimated  at  110,000,  and  the  number  of 
Christians  was  stated  to  be  about  12,000.  Of 
these  the  schismatic  Greeks  numbered  more 
than  5,000,  Greek  Catholics  more  than  5,000, 
Maronites  about  300,  Armenian  Catholics  about 
300,  Syrian  Catholics  about  600,  and  the  Latins 
a  few  hundred.  Whatever  the  Christian  popu- 
lation in  reality  may  have  been  in  1840,  it  is 


find  the  Holy  Land.  241 

probably  double  the  foregoing  figures  at  the 
present  time,  the  Catholic  Greeks  -being  about 
equal  in  numbers  to  the  Greek  schismatics, 
and  the  other  Catholic  Oriental  rites  consider- 
ably surpassing  in  numbers,  wealth,  and  po- 
sition (he  corresponding  schismatical  bodies, 
which  is  the  reverse,  however,  in  a  number  of 
the  other  cities  of  Syria.  / 

North  of  Palestine,  in  tlie  region  of  the  Leba- 
non, the  Maronites  are  a  very  important  body  of 
Oriental  Catholic  Christians.  One  day,  as  we 
were  waiting  in  the  hall  of  the  Casa  Nova  in  Je- 
rusalem, four  tall,  venerable,  and  dignified  stran- 
gers, wearing  the  usual  flowing  robes  of  the  East, 
entered  the  door  and  passed  through  to  a  room 
in  the  building.  As  they  passed  they  saluted  us 
by  bowing  and  placing  the  right  hand  to  their 
foreheads  and  then  on  their  breasts  in  the  Ori- 
ental manner,  as  token  of  their  respect  in  mind 
and  heart.  We  were  glad  of  the  opportunity  of 
meeting  these  manly  and  heroic  Christians  of 
northern  Syria.  Probably  we  had  already  seen 
some  of  their  number,  but  were  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  others  of  the  finer  specimens 
of  Palestine  manhood.  They  number  about  two 
hundred  thousand  and  chiefly  inhabit  the  moun- 
tains of  Lebanon.  They  claim  never  to  have  de- 
parted from  the  orthodox  faith  or  from  obedi- 


242  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ence  to  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  Like  all  the 
other  Oriental  Catholic  bodies,  they  have  their 
own  rites  and  liturgy,  and  the  Church  disci- 
pline peculiar  to  the  East.  They  use  the  Syr- 
iac  language  in  their  liturgy,  the  very  language 
which  Christ  our  Lord  used  when  He  instituted 
the  holy  mysteries.  The  secular  and  regular 
clergy  number  about  twenty-six  hundred,  and 
the  monks  possess  many  fine  monasteries  in  the 
Lebanon./ 

We  arrived  in  Alexandria  at  noon  on  Satur- 
day. All  the  guns  of  the  British  war-fleet  were 
about  to  fire  a  royal  salute.  It  gave  us  a  good 
idea  of  the  bombardment  of  Alexandria  without 
its  terrible  results.  It  seemed  the  more  real,  as 
we  recognized  the  names  of  several  war- ships 
that  took  part  in  that  battle.  We  went  on  shore 
and  drove  to  Abbat's  Hotel.  There  we  saw  late 
papers  for  the  first  time  in  a  month,  in  which 
we  learned  the  name  of  the  nominee  of  one  of 
the  great  political  parties  for  the  Presidency  of 
the  United  States,  and  found  a  confirmation  of 
the  rumors  which  we  had  heard  in  Jaffa  that 
cholera  had  broken  out  in  southern  France. 
Towards  evening  we  took  a  walk  through  the 
streets' to  get  a  last  good  look  at  Oriental  scenes, 
which  now  we  might  enjoy,  although  they  were 
no  longer  possessed  of  novelty. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  243 

The  next  day  was  Sunday  and  Uje  Feast  of 
the  holy  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul.  We  cele- 
brated Mass  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Catharine, 
and  for  my  Mass  I  was  directed  to  the  altar  of 
St.  Peter.  Some  of  those  who  assisted  at  the 
Mass  which  I  celebrated  were  afterwards  with 
us  on  the  steamer. 


EUROPE, 


CHAPTER  XXL 

FROM  ALEXANDRIA  TO  NAPLES. 

ON  our  arrival  in  Alexandria  we  were  unde- 
cided as  to  the  route  by  which  we  should  return 
to  Europe  ;  but,  as  we  were  desirous  of  making 
haste  on  account  of  the  summer  weather,  we  de- 
cided to  take  the  French  steamer  which  sailed 
on  Sunday  forenoon  for  Naples.  It  is  a  more 
lonesome  route  than  some  others,  but  we  were 
rewarded  with  the  sight,  within  the  space  of  the 
last  twenty -four  hours,  of  the  three  great  volcan- 
ic mountains — Etna,  Stromboli,  and  Vesuvius. 
We  drove  to  the  harbor  in  a  carriage  with  an 
Egyptian  guide,  who  told  us  that  our  former 
guide  was  taking  a  vacation,  as  he  was  able  to 
do  so,  being  quite  wealthy.  He  appeared,  to 
feel  at  home  with  us  and  to  enjoy  himself,  and 
laughed  quite  heartily  as  he  narrated  the  efforts 
of  some  English  ladies  to  convert  him  to  "  Chris- 
tianity."/ 

244 


A    Visit  to  Europe.  245 

An  hour  afterwards   our  vessel   ^teamed   out 

»- 

of*  the  harbor,  and  by  noon  the  Egyptian  coast 
disappeared  from  our  sight  beneath  the  distant 
horizon  of  waters,  and  to  us-the  East,  the  dream- 
land and  wonder-land,  lived  only  in  the  past 
and  in  our  imagination.  Until  some  time  be- 
yond the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  fourth 
day  we  saw  only  the  blue  billows  of  the  deep. 
But  the  sea  was  not  so  dreary  as  tlie  ocean,  for 
nearly  always  some  white-winged  messenger  of 
peace  and  plenty — which  under  the  bright  rays 
of  the  sun  appeared  like  fleecy  clouds  of  snow 
and  then  again  like  transparent  golden  banners 
— skirted  the  horizon  or  moved  majestically  on- 
ward at  a  more  neighborly  distance.  The  cabin 
passengers  were  all  French  except  ourselves  and 
a  solitary  German  who  seemed  to  possess  both 
a  gentlemanly  and  sensitive  nature,  but  who 
did  not  appear  to  feel  at  home  among  so  many 
Frenchmen.  As  for  us,  we  thoroughly  enjoyed 
our  French  company,  and  we  had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  their  polite  bearing, '  light 
hearts,  and  genial  dispositions,  ever  unchangeable 
during  the  voyage.  We  had  music,  songs,  and 
lively  conversations  ;  and  sometimes  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  including  the  captain  and  first 
mate,  skipped  the  rope  like  children,  to  see  who 
could  make  the  best  record,  which  was  always 


246  A    Visit  to  Europe 

greeted  with  rounds  of  applause.  Sometimes 
the  sea  itself  seemed  to  catch  the  infectious  spi- 
rit of  jollity,  and  would  take  on  playful  moods 
and  start  into  quick  motions  that  would  set  all 
the  passengers  dancing  until  they  were  sick 
of  it. 

About  two  or  three  hours  before  sunset  we 
came  in  sight  of  Sicily,  and  rising  high  among 
its  mountain  peaks  was  volcanic  Etna,  whose 
summit,  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  marked  a  short  line  against  the  blue 
sky.  Nearer  and  nearer  we  approached  the 
land,  and  the  great  mountain  gradually  reveal- 
ed more  clearly  its  grand  proportions.  We  sat 
on  deck  and  looked  out  over  the  smooth  sea 
towards  the  land  and  mountains  until  night  set- 
tled down  over  all.  What  a  sublime  and  terri- 
fic sight  that  mountain  would  have  presented 
to  us  two  years  later,  as  it  cast  forth  its  liquid 
streams  of  fire  into  the  black  heavens  of  night, 
lighting  up  mountains,  land,  and  sea  with  its 
lurid  light !  / 

The  next  morning  at  dawn  there  was  some- 
thing about  the  movement  of  the  vessel  that 
made  me  think  we  were  not  far  from  land,  and 
I  hastily  arose  and  looked  out  of  our  state-room 
window.  The  land  was  near  by,  and  we  were 
passing  between  the  Scylla  and  Charybdis  of 


and  the  Holy  Land.  247 

the  ancients,  where,  according  to  Grecian  my- 
thology, two  horrid  monsters  dwelt  on  opposite 
sides,  ever  ready  to  swallow  up  unlucky  naviga- 
tors. In  former  ages  it  was  certainly  considered 
a  dangerous  place  in  navigation,  but  in  modern 
times  it  has  lost  most  of  its  terrors.  I  dressed 
as  hastily  as  possible  and  went  on  deck,  but  by 
that  time  we  were  gradually  moving  out  into 
wider  waters,  and  the  narrower  channel  was  left 
behind.  Huge  banks  of  jagged  clouds  rested 
over  the  land,  and  they  stood  so  calmly,  with 
their  white-capped  and  gray -mantled  peaks,  that 
at  first  I  mistook  them  for  high  mountains,  and 
it  took  close  observation  to  dispel  the  romantic 
illusion.  / 

About  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  we  came  in 
sight  of  Stromboli,  which  is  a  volcanic  mountain 
island,  rising  three  thousand  feet  out  of  the  sea. 
Although  we  could  discern  at  the  base  of  the 
mountain  a  space  containing  a  town  of  many 
houses,  it  otherwise  looked  like  an  island  form- 
ed of  a  single  mountain,  rising  directly  out  of 
the  waves  into  a  solitary  peak.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  an  active  volcano  for  two  thousand 
years,  and  is  called  the  "light-house  of  the 
Mediterranean,"  but  we  did  not  discover  any 
signs  to  indicate,  at  the  present  time,  the  fit- 
ness of  the  name.  From  about  half-way  up  its 


248  A    Visit  to  Europe 

i 

sides  it  was  covered  with  a  cloud,  which  at  times 

would   break  in  pieces,  revealing   the  summit, 
which  would  again  quickly  be  hidden. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  we  sailed  up  the 
uneven  Italian  coast,  with  nothing  more  to  in- 
terest us  than  the  sight  of  land,  arid  sailing-ves- 
sels scudding  over  the  water  in  every  direction, 
and  dignified  steamships,  under  clouds  of  smoke, 
starting  on  their  journey  to  southern  and  east- 
ern countries./ 

Towards  evening  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Bay 
of  Naples.  It  was  one  of  the  rarest  and  most 
beautiful  scenes  ever  painted  on  my  memory. 
The  entrance  to  the  bay,  from  Cape  Miserio  on 
the  north  to  Cape  Campanella  on  the  south,  is 
twenty  miles  in  width.  To  our  right,  at  the 
south  of  the  bay,  were  mountain  heights  adorn- 
ed with  numerous  villages  and  cities,  many  of 
which  were  founded  by  Grecian  colonists  five 
hundred  years  before  Christ.  Immediately  at 
our  left  was  the  high,  rocky  island  of  Capri, 
looming  up  like  a  grand,  impregnable  fortress. 
This  island  was  the  favorite  resort  of  the  Ro- 
man emperors  Augustus  and  Tiberius,  and  of 
many  of  the  old  Roman  nobility.  Towards  the 
north  entrance  rose  the  island  of  Ischia,  noted 
for  its  earthquakes  and  volcanoes.  Before  us 
was  tfre  fair  bay,  beyond  which  was  the  beau- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  249 

tiful  city.  And  towering  over  all  was  mighty 
Vesuvius,  belching  forth  its  black  and  threat- 
ening volume  of  smoke,  which,  as  evening  came 
on,  became  at  frequent  intervals  a  lurid  red,  for 
an  instant  appearing  like  an  angry  demon  light- 
ing the  darkness  with  his  infernal  torch.  But 
when  we  first  entered  the  bay  and  rounded  the 
southern  coast  all  was  calm,  bright,  and  beauti- 
ful ;  a  clear  blue  sky  overhead,  the  blue  waters 
of  the  sea  beneath,  and  on  the  land  commingled 
green  and  white,  and  changing  colors  every- 
where ;  and  all — sky,  water,  vessels  with  their 
.white  sails,  cities,  and  land — were  bathed  in  the 
limpid  light  of  the  setting  sun.  An  American 
man- of  war  in  the  harbor  was  covered  with  flags 
and  bunting,  for  the  next  day  was  the  Fourth  of 
July./ 

As  we  came  to  anchor  and  the  shades  of  even- 
ing began  to  deepen,  we  heard  the  loud,  distinct 
voice  of  military  orders  on  a  neighboring  Italian 
man-of-war,  followed  by  the  beat  of  drum  and 
the  clear,  musical  notes  of  the  trumpet ;  and  the 
dark  pall  of  night  rested  on  the  bright  scenes 
of  day,  as  the  pall  of  death  rests  upon  the  fair 
face  of  beauty.  And  t"he  lights  that  quickly 
rose  in  the  city,  like  those  of  the  death-watch, 
added  an  appearance  of  reality  to  the 
son, 


250  A    Visit  to  Europe 

The  next  morning,  as  we  stepped  on  shore,  we 
realized  that  we  were  in  a  new  world.  The  sa- 
cred places  and  associations  of  the  Holy  Land 
were  no  longer  ours,  but  our  feet  rested  on  a 
land  that,  with  all  its  faults,  is  still  Catholic. 
And  everywhere  over  the  land  were  sanctuaries 
and  sacred  temples,  hallowed  by  the  divine  pres- 
ence of  Jesus  Christ  in  their  holy  tabernacles./ 

But  our  first  impressions  on  landing  were  not 
pleasant.  The  chief  officer  of  the  custom-house 
happened  to  be  present,  and  the  under- officials 
showed  great  zeal  in  unpacking  our  baggage  and 
hunting  in  every  nook  and  corner  for  tobacco— 
which  two  of  us  never  use — and  for  articles  of 
devotion,  such  as  rosaries  and  crucifixes,  some 
of  which  we  had  bought  in  Rome  but  most  of 
which  in  Palestine,  and  which  we  were  carrying 
through  Italy  as  presents  to  our  friends  and  pa- 
rishioners in  America.  Perhaps  we  did  not  suf- 
ficiently "possess  our  souls  in  patience,"  or  pay 
the  duties,  which  we  had  to  pay,  with  sufficient 
meekness,  nor  did  we  speak  complimentary- 
words  of  the  decency  of  a  government  that  is 
Catholic  even  in  name  and  does  such  things. 
We  blamed  the  officials,,  in  which  we  were  proba- 
bly wrong,  as  they  were  only  the  dutiful  ser- 
vants of  a  needy  and  greedy  government,  whose 
own  people  everywhere  feel  the  slavery  of  a 


and  the  Holy  Land.  251 

grinding  taxation.  It  was  the  Fourth  of  July, 
and  we  were  perchance  a  little  inflated  with  the 
spirit  of  American  independence,  and  expected 
too  much.  We  were  foolish  enough  to  expect 
decency  in  a  matter  where  we  knew  that  the 
legislators  had  a  right  in  law  to  disregard  it. 
We  expected  too  much  when  we  looked  for  de- 
cency from  a  government  that  steals  convents 
and  churches  and  robs  the  Vicar  of  Christ.  Yet 
in  justice  I  must  add  that  all  over  Italy  we 
found  many  officials,  both  civil  and  .military, 
who  were  kind  and  obliging  in  their  manners, 
and  gentlemen  in  every  respect.  And,  so  far  as 
I  am  personally  concerned,  I  have  no  complaints 
to  make  of  my  treatment  by  the  Italian  people, 
and  I  got  to  like  the  greater  number  of  those 
with  whom  I  formed"  any  acquaintance.  In  few 
countries  would  I  sooner  live  than  in  Italy,  only 
I  would  not  wish  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  Ita- 
lian kingdom.  I  consider  the  Italian  population 
as  a  too  patient  people,  Catholic  at  heart,  toiling 
under  the  burdens  and  oppression  of  ambitious 
rulers  and  the  unprincipled  classes  who  uphold 
them.  We  afterwards  noticed  over  the  custom- 
house a  beautiful  statue  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception, which  quieted  our  disturbed  feelings. 
No  one  has  a  more  sincere  loyalty  to  the  flag 
of  his  country  than  I  have  for  the  Stars  and 


252  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Stripes,  but  I  was  never  in  love  with  the  bra- 
zen goddess  of  liberty.  May  the  day  quickly 
come  when  the  Immaculate  Queen  of  Heaven 
will  be  invoked  by  our  nation  to  bless  the  starry 
banner  of  freedom !  / 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  SEE    NAPLES   AND   THEN   DIE." 

WE  took  a  carriage  and  drove  to  the  Hotel 
de  Rome.  During  the  forenoon  we  made  ar- 
rangements with  a  guide  for  a  carriage  and 
driver  and  his  own  service  for  a  visit  to  the 
ruined  city  of  Pompeii.  It  is  situated  twelve 
miles  southeast  of  Naples,  yet  the  houses  along 
the  streets  were  so  continuous  that  we  hardly 
perceived  that  we  had  left  the  city.  Naples 
possesses  more  than  three  hundred  churches, 
and  we  passed  many  of  them  on  our  way. 
From  the  inscriptions  on  those  which  we  saw 
we  learned  that  a  large  number  of  them  are 
dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  under  some  one 
of  her  titles  ;  and  at  almost  every  corner  there 
was  a  picture  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  or  the 
Blessed  Mother  and  Divine  Child,  Some  special 


and  the  Holy  Land.  253 

festival  of  the  Blessed  Virgin*  had  lately  been 
celebrated,  and  hanging  across  the  street,  through 
which  we  drove  for  about  a  mile,  as  nearly  as  I 
could  judge  the  distance,  were  cords  and  wires — 
only  a  brief  space  apart — each  one  upholding 
many  lights  of  various  kinds.  It  must  have 
been  a  grand  display  and  illumination  in  honor 
of  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  and  Naples  appeared 
to  me  in  a  better  and  more  beautiful  light  than 
it  ever  had  before,  for  I  have  great  confidence 
in  a  people  that  has  such  tender  love  and  de- 
votion for  the  Mother  of  God.  After  we  had 
gone  a  certain  distance  we  noticed  that  a  cross 
was  marked  on  all  the  houses^  and  on  many  of 
them  was  a  painting  representing  a  bishop  mak- 
ing the  sign  of  the  cross  towards  Vesuvius. 
This  is  in  honor  of  the  miracle  that  occurred 
on  that  terrible  day  in  December,  1831,  when 
the  city  was  experiencing  repeated  shocks  of 
earthquakes,  and  the  dread  fires  of  Vesuvius 
were  rolling  down  towards  the  city,  threatening 
it  with  destruction,  when  the  archbishop  went 
forth  bearing  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius,  and 
with  it  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  the 
burning  mountain,  and  its  devouring  torrents 
of  fire  were  stayed  in  their  course  and  the  city 
was  saved.  When  I  saw  these  pictures  on  the 
houses  I  took  them  to  represent  St. 


254  A    Visit  to  Europe 

making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  Vesuvius,  but 
it  is  probable  that  they  are  representations  of 
the  archbishop  with  the  reliquary.  / 

The  road  to  Pompeii  led  near  the  bay,  along 
whose  shores  were  charming  villas  surrounded  by 
pleasure-grounds  and  flower-gardens,  such  as  can 
be  found  only  in  a  climate  as  delicious  as  that  of 
Naples.  With  frequent  glimpses  of  the  bay 
and  its  surrounding  peopled  heights,  and  a  con- 
stant view  of  great  Vesuvius  before  us,  and  fre- 
quent changes  of  nearer  passing  scenes,  we  jour- 
neyed over  the  road.  On  our  arrival  at  the  en- 
trance to  Pompeii  we  heard  a  party  of  about 
twenty  singing  familiar  words  to  a  familiar  air  ; 
they  were  evidently  citizens  of  the  great  repub- 
lic of  the  West,  over  which  the  sun  shines  at 
his  zenith  during  about  one-eighth  part  of  the 
time  of  an  entire  revolution  of  the  globe.  They 
were  singing  the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner."  They 
were  about  to  make  the  ascent  of  Vesuvius,  and, 
as  we  were  to  visit  Pompeii,  after  a  short  and 
friendly  acquaintance  we  separated,  perhaps  to 
meet  but  once  in  our  lives,  and  then  at  the  gates 
of  a  dead  city  in  a  far-off  foreign  land.  As  they 
left  us  it  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  not  the  first 
Fourth  of  July  that  our  countrymen  had  ap- 
proached "the  crater"  beneath  which  slumber 
volcanoes.  We  were  soon  afterwards  inside  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  255 


walls  of  Pompeii.  This  was  a  city^five  centuries 
before  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  how  much  older 
it  is  history  does  not  inform  us  with  sufficient 
certainty.  In  the^year  79  A. D.  it  was  destroyed 
by  an  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  and  lay  buried  un- 
der volcanic  deposits  for  seventeen  centuries,  to 
be  brought  to  the  light  in  our  age,  revealing  to 
our  eyes  the  homes,  customs,  and  domestic  life 
of  the  Roman  people  two  thousand  y ears  ago.  / 

We  walked  through  silent  streets  and  entered 
tenant-less  houses  whose  last  masters  had  left 
them  in  haste,  so  that  they  were  found  eighteen 
hundred  years  afterwards  just  as  they  were 
when  last  occupied^  the  furniture  in  its  place, 
and  sometimes  the  table  with  its  dishes  and 
food  ready  for  a  repast.  The  owner's  name  is 
often  inscribed  over  the  door,  and  the  various 
rooms  are  pointed  out  which  the  family  occu- 
pied for  different  purposes  ;  even  the  profession 
or  trade  of  the  householder  and  his  manner  of 
life  can  be  determined.  Frescoes  are  painted  on 
the  walls  adorning  the  different  rooms,  reveal- 
ing the  tastes  and  enjoyments  of  their  former 
occupants.  Their  wine  shops  where  drink  was 
sold  are  well  preserved,  and  cavities  in  stone 
where  different  kinds  of  drink  were  kept,  and 
slabs  of  marble  on  which  wines  and  liquors  were 
dealt  to  customers,  look  as  if  they  might  have 


256  A    Visit  to  Europe 


been  used  yesterday.  The  places  of  amusement 
and  the  military  barracks  are  not  different  than 
those  which  are  well  preserved  in  other  cities. 
The  temples  of  the  pagan  gods  and  goddesses, 
with  their  statues,  and  altars  on  which  sacrifices 
were  offered,  are  well  kept,  and  in  many  re- 
spects appear  very  much  as  they  must  have 
looked  had  we  entered  them  the  day  before 
their  terrible  visitation.  The  streets  are  nar- 
row, and  it  is  not  far  from  the  curbstone  of  one 
sidewalk  to  that  of  the  other  ;  but  they  are  well 
paved  with  stone,  in  which  are  well-worn  ruts 
made  by  the  chariot- wheels  of  those  early  times.  | 
In  the  museum  near  the  entrance  were  several 
petrified  bodies  of  human  beings  and  animals, 
in  the  exact  position  they  were,  and  with  the 
expression  of  agonized  terror  that  was  on  their 
faces,  when  they  were  overtaken  by  the  ele- 
ment that  destroyed  life  but  preserved  all  else. 
About  one  third  of  the  city  has  been  excavat- 
ed, and  laborers  are  constantly  emplo^yed  by 
the  government  at  the  same  work.  When  we 
were  there  it  was  the  time  of  their  siesta,  and 
they  were  lying  in  the  shade  of  ancient  walls, 
some  of  them  fast  asleep.  This  unfortunate 
city  occupied  one  of  the  fairest  sites  that  the 
earth  could  afford.  As  I  looked  around  me  on 
that  early  afternoon  I  did  not  wonder  that  the 


and  tJie  Holy  Land.  257 

ancients  built  a  city  in  such  dangerous  proxim- 
ity to  Vesuvius.  On  the  one  side  were  the  calm, 
blue  waters  of  the  bay  with  its  picturesque 
frame  ;  on  the  other  side  was  the  grand  moun- 
tain raising  its  giant  head  into  the  azure  heav- 
ens. Between  the  mountain  and  sea  .was  a 
plateau,  sufficiently  large  for  a  city,  and  gradu- 
ally sloping  downwards  to  the  surrounding 
country  with  its  groves  and  farms,  gardens  and 
villas,  over  which  the  eye  could  wander  at  plea- 
sure ;  and  this  fair  scene  reposed  under  the 
clear,  dreamy  sky  of  southern  Italy.  Having 
bought  some  mementoes  of  the  place  from  sol- 
diers and  others,  we  returned  to  Naples.\ 

Among  the  prominent  objects  in  Naples  which 
frequently  attract  attention  are  its  castles. 
Three  are  especially  noticeable :  Castel  del'  Ovo 
—the  Egg,  so  called  on  account  of  its  oval  form 
— occupying  an  island  near  the  shore  and  built 
in  the  eleventh  century ;  Castel  Nuovo,  on  the 
mainland  near  the  Port,  and  built  in  the  thir- 
teenth century ;  and  Castel  St.  Elmo,  on  the 
heights  overlooking  the  city.  We  rose  rather 
early  the  next  morning,  as  we  wished  to  make 
a  few  remaining  visits  before  leaving  on  the 
train  for  Rome  early  in  the  afternoon.  Having 
dressed,  I  was  looking  out  of  the  window  at 
the  morning  street  scenes  when  I  saw  coming 


258  A    Visit  to  Europe 

up  the  street  a  priest  in  surplice  and  stole,  walk- 
ing under  a  baldachin,  and  bearing  a  ciborium 
with  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Several  persons 
with  colored  lanterns  preceded  him.  He  was  a 
priest  from  the  neighboring  parish  church  of 
St.  Lucy  returning  from  a  sick-call.  The  peo- 
ple on  the  street,  for  the  most  part,  showed  pro- 
per reverence  for  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament  by 
kneeling  as  it  was  borne  by,  and  just  in  front 
of  the  hotel  a  street- car  was  passing  down  the 
street.  The  driver  immediately  stopped  the  car 
and  knelt  in  his  place;  more  than  one-third  of 
the  passengers  got  out  of  the  car  and  knelt  in 
the  street,  and  more  than  half  the  rest  knelt  in 
the  car,  while  a  few  remaining  persons  kept 
their  seats  with  more  or  less  indifference.  I 
suppose  they  belonged  to  the  class  of  infidels 
and  free-thinkers  who  disgrace  modern  Italy,  or 
some  of  them  may  have  come  from  those  unfor- 
tunate countries  where  faith  is  looked  on  as 
superstition.  But,  taken  all  in  all,  the  scene 
was  edifying,  and  one  which  is  frequently  wit- 
nessed in  Catholic  lands.  \ 

After  breakfast  we  took  a  carriage  and  rode 
first  to  the  church  of  St.  Dominic,  in  order  to 
see  as  much  as  possible  of  the  locality  made 
sacred  by  the  presence  and  labors  of  St.  Thomas 
of  Aquin.  We  saw  several  places  of  his  more 


and  the  Holy  Land.  259 

public  ministry,  but  were  unfortunate  in  not 
being  able,  for  some  reason  or  another,  to  enter 
the  room  where,  raised  from  the  floor  in  fervent 
prayer,  a  voice  was  heard  directed  to  him  from 
the  crucifix:  "Thou  hast  written  well  of  Me, 
Thomas:  what  recompense  dost  thou  desire?" 
To  which  he  answered:  "No  other  than  Thy- 
self, O  Lord."  We  were  shown,  however,  the 
tombs  and  skeletons  of  the  Anjou  princes, 
which  we  did  not  care  to  see  ;  although  St. 
Alphonsus  Liguori,  who  was  born  in  Naples, 
would  probably  have  made  them  the  subject 
of  a  meditation  on  death./ 

We  next  drove  to  the  National,  formerly 
Bourbonic,  Museum,  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
extensive  in  the  world.  It  contains  hundreds 
of  frescoes  brought  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii; 
and  although  the  best  of  them  have  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  museum,  I  better  appreciated 
those  that  I  saw  on  the  walls  where  they  were 
painted,  and  overlooking  the  rooms  which  they 
ornamented  for  their  owners  in  the  long-de- 
parted past.  I  do  not  intend  to  publish  a  cata- 
logue of  any  museum,  but  I  may  state  that 
among  the  thousands  of  curiosities  and  works 
of  art  contained  in  this  one,  those  of  world- 
wide fame  are  the  Farnese  Hercules  and  Far- 
nese  bull.  \ 


260  .A    Visit  to  Europe 

When  in  Palestine  we  had  expressed  to  a 
Franciscan  father  our  intention  of  visiting  Bo- 
logna to  see  the  body  of  St.  Catharine  of  Bo- 
logna. He  advised  us  to  go  to  the  Franciscan 
church  in  Naples  to  see  the  incorrupt  body  of 
St.  John  Joseph.  We  therefore  next  drove  to 
the  Franciscan  church  for  that  purpose.  On 
stating  the  object  of  our  visit  to  one  of  the 
fathers,  we  were  taken  through  the  sacristy  to 
an  interior  chapel,  where  he  lighted  the  candles 
over  the  altar,  and,  drawing  two  curtains  aside, 
revealed  the  body  and  face  of  the  saint.  We 
could  see  only  the  face  clearly,  but  it  was  per- 
fectly incorrupt  and  natural,  and,  while  evi- 
dently the  face  of  a  corpse,  it  looked  like  the 
face  of  one  who  had  died  yesterday.  Having 
knelt  and  prayed  to  this  pure  saint,  whose 
pure  body  lay  before  us,  and  having  received 
some  pious  mementoes  of  the  church,  wre  re- 
turned to  the  hotel.y 

We  would  leave  Naples  in  a  few  hours,  and 
during  that  time  we  could  not  be  idle ;  so  we 
sauntered  through  the  streets  until  near  train- 
time,  enjoying  the  gny  life  and  lively  manners 
of  the  people.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that 
the  traveller  will  relate  the  story  of  his  rambles 
through  the  streets  of  different  cities  ;  but  after 
all  it  may  be  to  himself  one  of  the  most  plea- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  261 

sant,  interesting,  and  instructive  parts  of  his 
travels.  I  may  not  often  speak  *of  it,  but  we 
never  failed  to  make  such  walks  necessary  inci- 
dents of  our  visits.  Since  the  cholera  broke 
out  in  Italy  I  have  frequently  heard  the  expres- 
sion, "dirty  Naples."  These  words  may  be 
true  of  some  sections  of  the  city  which  1  did 
not  see ;  one  of  my  companions  says  he  met 
with  such  districts,  and  on  our  first  visit  I  no- 
ticed that  the  neighborhood  of  Virgil's  tomb 
possessed  an  unsavory  atmosphere.  But  on 
our  last  visit  I  rode  and  walked  many  miles 
through  its  streets,  and  I  hardly  found  a  cleaner 
city  in  Europe ;  and  I  remember  several  in 
northern  Europe  and  in  America  that  were  much 
dirtier,  although  their  climate  may  be  more  fa- 
vorable to  their  sanitary  condition./ 

The  afternoon  found  us  moving  out  through 
the  suburbs  of  the  city,  past  gardens  and  vine- 
yards, towards  the  north  on  our  way  to  Rome. 
The  luxuriant  foliage  of  the  frequent  clumps 
and  groves  of  trees  was  much  more  pleasing  to 
our  eyes  than  it  was  on  our  downward  jour- 
ney, for  since  that  time  we  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  more  barren  scenery  of  Palestine. 
A  little  past  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we 
again  came  in  sight  of  Monte  Cassino.  For  a 
full  half-hour  we  had  the  privilege  of  beholding 


262  A    Visit  to  Europe 

its  grand,  fortress-like  walls,  while  we  were  stop- 
ping at  the  station  and  as  we  continued  our  way 
up  the  beautiful  valley.  It  is,  indeed,  a  grand 
old  fortress  against  "the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil."  The  first  rainstorm  that  we  had 
seen  since  we  left  for  the  East  now  threatened 
us.  The  dark  clouds  rested  over  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  and  deepened  the  shadows  in  the 
valleys,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  mild,  refreshing 
shower,  without  thunder  and  lightning.  \ 

The  monastery  stands  on  the  brow  of  a  moun- 
tain, looking  down  upon  a  fertile  plain,  which 
is  nearly  surrounded  by  mountains  and  ex- 
tends into  the  narrower  valleys  north  and 
south  through  which  the  railroad  runs.  The 
mountain  scenery  is  stern  and  grand,  but  the 
valleys  below  are  fair  and  smiling.  St.  Bene- 
dict certainly  chose  a  grand  solitude  for  the 
mother  house  of  his  Order ;  but  to  what  ex- 
tent since  that  time  the  wilderness  has  blos- 
somed into  roses  and  the  surrounding  country 
grown  rich  in  fields  of  golden  grain,  by  means 
of  the  self-denying  toil  of  his  monks,  I  will 
not  stop  to  narrate,  as  we  must  hasten  on 
towards  Rome,  from  which  this  sacred  and  im- 
pregnable mountain  has  received  its  divine 
strength,  and  of  which  Monte  Cassino  has 
been,  during  fourteen  centuries,  a  mighty  fort- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  263 

ress,  sending  forth  from  its  gates,  legions  of 
Christian  soldiers  to  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth.  As  I  beheld  that  long  line  of  conquer- 
ors marching  out  of  those  venerable  monastic 
walls,  as  the  pale,  ascetic  faces  of  many  of 
them  were  revealed  in  the  first*  rays  of  the 
morning  sun,  I  saw  that  they  already  glowed 
with  the  light  of  victory  ;  and  even  now  around 
the  heads  of  some  shone  the  aureola  of  sanc- 
tity, growing  brighter  and  more  beautiful  as 
they  advanced,  changing  at  times  into  the  ra- 
diant and  glorious  crown  of  prophetic  martyr- 
dom, f 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  ETERNAL    CITY. 

TOWARDS  evening  we  were  again  passing 
through  the  charming  remote  environs  of 
Rome.  It  was  dark  when  we  arrived  in  the 
city,  and  we  took  the  omnibus  of  the  Hotel 
Minerva.  We  secured  pleasanter  rooms  than 
we  had  occupied  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit, 
and  we  engaged  them  for  ten  or  eleven  days, 
with  breakfast  and  table-cT Jiote,  the  latter  at 
four  o'clock.  I 


264  A    Visit  to  Europe 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and,  as  we  had 
not  yet  presented  our  papers  to  the  cardinal- 
vicar  to  get  our  "Celebret,"  we  decided  to  at- 
tend Mass  at  St.  Peter's.  We  crossed  the 
bridge  of  St.  An  gel  o,  built  by  Hadrian  more 
than  seventeen  hundred  years  ago  to  connect 
his  tomb  with  the  city,  and  passed  near  the 
Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  built  by  the  same  empe- 
ror to  be  his  tomb,  where  the  Roman  emperors 
and  their  families  were  buried  until  the  time 
of  Septimius  Sever  us,  and  perhaps  later.  We 
were  now  approaching  the  ancient  Vatican 
mount,  which  in  *the  time  of  the  Roman  Re- 
public was  occupied  by  suburban  gardens, 
where  dwelt  those  in  humble  life,  which  under 
the  Empire  were  turned  into  public  pleasure- 
gardens  and  parks  ;  and  on  that  eminence  just 
before  us,  where  rises  the  grandest  structure  of 
the  world,  was  the  circus  of  the  infamous  Nero. 
In  this  vicinity  St.  Peter  was  crucified,  and  the 
cross  of  the  Vatican,  like  that  of  Calvary,  be- 
came symbolical  of  suffering  and  victory.  And 
beneath  the  centre  of  that  wondrous  dome  his 
body  was  laid  at  rest,  j 

We  soon  reached  the  Piazza  of  St.  Peter, 
which  is  1,100  feet  in  length  by  about  800  feet 
in  its  extreme  breadth,  partially  encircled  by 
colonnades,  each  having  four  rows  of  columns, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  265 

284  of  which  and  88  buttresses  forming  three 
covered  passages,  whose  roofs  are  surmounted 
by  162  statues  of  saints.  In  the  centre  of  this 
piazza  is  an  Egyptian  obelisk,  brought  from  the 
city  of  Helio polls  in  the  first  years  of  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  and  placed  in  the 
Vatican  circus  by  Caligula,  third  emperor  of 
Rome.  It  was  placed  in  its  present  site  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  On  either  side  is  a  large 
fountain,  whose  waters,  rising  in  jets  and  spray, 
shone  with  prismatic  colors  in  the  bright  light 
of  a  summer  morning  sun. 

Before  us  to  the  right  was  the  immense  pal- 
ace of  the  Vatican,  which  is  the  largest  palace 
in  the  world.  It  is  said  to  contain  11,000  halls, 
chapels,  salons,  and  private  apartments.  It  is 
many  stories  high,  and  covers  an  area  about 
770  feet  in  width  by  1,150  feet  in  length.  Only 
a  relatively  small  portion  is  set  apart  for  the 
direct  use  of  the  papal  household.  Even  under 
the  present  civil  rule  the  palaces  of  the  Vati- 
can and  Lateran.  and  Castle  Gandolfo,  are  de- 
clared by  the  Italian  " guarantees"  to  be  ex- 
territorial. \ 

As  we  entered  through  the  great  doors  of  St. 
Peter's  we  seemed  to  witness  the  vast  proces- 
sion of  pilgrims  who  in  past  centuries  had 
passed  over  this  same  ground,  even  if  in  earlier 


266  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ages  their  feet  had  not  trod  the  same  pave- 
ment, to  pray  before  the  tomb  of  the  Prince  of 
the  Apostles ;  for  the  poor,  illiterate  Galilean 
Fisherman  has  become  the  Prince  of  Christen- 
dom. This  church  was  founded  by  Constantine 
the  Great ;  and  Charlemagne  and  Alfred  the 
Great,  and  a  long  line  of  emperors  and  kings, 
have  here  received  their  crowns  from  the  Suc- 
cessors of  the  Fisherman.  Near  the  entrance  is 
a  round  block  of  porphyry  on  which  the  em- 
perors were  formerly  crowned.  The  length  of 
St.  Peter's,  including  the  portico,  is  about  700 
feet,  and  its  width — that  is,  the  interior  length 
of  the  transept — is  450  feet ;  its  height  to  the 
summit  of  the  cross  is  435  feet.  When  we 
entered,  Solemn  High  Mass  was  in  progress  at 
an  altar  erected  before  the  crypt.  The  singing, 
which  was  without  organ  accompaniment,  was 
a  delight  not  merely  to  the  ears  but  to  the 
soul.  I  noticed  that  the  celebrant  did  not  sit 
during  the  singing  of  the  Credo,  but  continued 
the  Mass.  Having  assisted  at  a  good  portion 
of  this  Mass,  we  began  to  watcli  the  sacristy 
door  in  order  to  discover  a  priest  about  to 
celebrate  a  Low  Mass  which  we  might  attend. 
We  had  not  long  to  wait.  A  half-dozen  men 
of  the  working  class  attended  the  same  Mass, 
who  knelt  during  the  whole  time,  and  seemed 


and  the  Holy  Land.  267 

to  assist  with  true  devotion.  At  first  it  may 
strike  the  stranger,  passing  his  first  Sunday  in 
Rome,  that  but  few  people  attend  the  different 
Masses.  At  some  Masses  there  might  be  not 
more  than  half  a  dozen,  and  at  others  from 
one  to  two  hundred  persons  were  in  attend- 
ance. But  when  we  consider  that  there  are  365 
churches  for  a  population  of  about  300,000, 
that  many  of  these  are  children  and  persons 
not  bound  to  attend  Mass,  and  the  large  num- 
ber of  Masses  in  nearly  all  the  churches,  and 
the  number  of  priests,  students,  and  religious, 
male  and  female,  who  attend  Mass  in  their 
own  chapels,  the  number  of  those  who  assist 
at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  must  be  relatively  large. 
Having  fulfilled  our  obligation,  we  were  attract- 
ed to  a  crowd  of  persons  collected  at  the  end 
of  the  church  under  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  On 
approaching  we  found  that  a  bishop  was  con- 
firming a  number  of  children,  and  the  parents 
and  friends  were  gathered  around./ 
/During  the  remainder  of  the  day  we  visited 
a  number  of  other  churches,  even  the  names 
of  which  I  cannot  now  remember ;  but  I  be- 
lieve that  the  Pantheon  was  among  them,  as  it 
was  only  a  short  distance  from  our  hotel.  It 
was  built  by  Agrippa  about  twenty-seven  years 
before  the  Christian  era,  and  it  was  probably 


268  A    Visit  to  Europe 

called  the  Pantheon  because,  being  lighted  by 
a  single  opening  in  the  centre  above,  it  bears 
resemblance  to  the  vault  of  heaven,  the  sup- 
posed residence  of  the  gods.  In  the  year  609 
it  was  converted  into  a  Christian  temple  and 
dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  all  the 
martyrs  ;  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  the  Festi- 
val of  All  Saints  was  instituted  by  Pope  Boni- 
face IV.  It  is  the  best  preserved  and  no- 
blest former  temple  of  paganism  in  Rome.  It 
has  a  portico  in  front,  110  feet  wide  and  44  feet 
deep,  which  is  supported  by  16  Corinthian  col- 
umns of  Oriental  granite,  with  bases  and  capi 
tals  of  white  marble.  They  are  41 J  feet  in 
height  and  15  feet  in  circumference.  The  main 
building  is  round,  143  feet  in  diameter  and  the 
same  in  height,  with  walls  20  feet  in  thickness. 
It  contains  the  tomb  of  Raphael  and  the  tombs 
of  many  other  celebrated  artists.  Victor  Em- 
manuel is  buried  here,  and  over  his  tomb  were 
hung  the  symbols  of  mourning.  The  Pantheon 
is  still  used  as  a  church./ 

That  afternoon  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  Ameri- 
can College,  where  we  were  kindly  received  by 
the  pro-rector,  Rev.  Dr.  Schulte,  who  offered  to 
send  our  papers  to  the  Vicariatus.  that  they 
might  be  endorsed  with  the  permission  to  cele- 
brate Mass  while  we  remained  in  the  city.  Dur- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  269 

ing  our  stay  in  Rome  I  celebrated  Mass  six 
times:  three  times  in  St.  Peter's;  once  in  the 
crypt  at  the  altar  beneath  which  rest  the  body 
of  St.  Peter  and  a  good  portion  of  the  body 
of  St.  Paul ;  once  at  the  altar  over  the  bodies 
of  the  holy  Apostles  St.  Simon  and  St.  Jnde  ; 
and  once  at  the  altar  over  the  body  of  St. 
Gregory  the  Great.  I  celebrated  Mass  twice  in 
the  Gesii ;  once  at*  the  altar  over  the  body  of 
St.  Ignatius,  founder  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  ; 
and  once  at  the  altar  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  my 
patron  saint.  Often  had  I  desired  to  visit  the 
cathedral  of  Goa,  in  the  far  East,  where  the 
body  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  is  preserved  incor- 
rupt ;  but,  not  having  that  joyful  privilege, 
I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  say 
Mass  at  his  altar  in  Rome  beneath  his  incor- 
rupt hand  and  arm,  which  are  preserved  over 
the  altar  in  an  oval  golden  plate — that  glorious 
hand  that  was  so  often  raised  towards  heaven 
in  God's  ministry,  that  baptized  so  many 
pagans,  that  was  raised  so  often  in  the  sacra- 
ment of  reconciliation,  and  that  touched  with 
such  reverence  and  bore  aloft  with  such  a  pro- 
found spirit  of  adoration  the  body  and  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ.  I  also  celebrated  Mass  once 
at  the  principal  altar  in  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  sopra  Minerva.  Beneath  this  altar  is  the 


270  A    Visit  to  Europe 

body  of  the  wonderful  "dear  St.  Catharine  of 
Sienna."  This  altar  has  been  remodelled  and 
renewed,  and  consecrated  by  Pius  IX  ,  and  the 
body  of  St.  Catharine  has  been  brought  from  a 
side-altar  and  placed  under  it ;  but  after  all  it 
is  the  same  altar  before  which  the  great  doctor 
of  the  Church,  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori,  was  con- 
secrated bishop.  Since  we  had  but  a  short 
time  before  said  Mass  on  Calvary  and  in  the 
Holy  Sepulchre,  and  in  other  sacred  places  of 
the  Holy  Land,  it  might  be  doubted  if  we  pro- 
perly appreciated  the  full  value  of  the  privi- 
leges that  we  now  enjoyed.  In  a  certain  sense 
we  valued  them  much  more  than  we  would  have 
otherwise  ;  for  to  the  heart  which  Jesus  Christ 
has  lately  touched  the  whole  world  seems  on 
fire  with  love.  / 

On  Monday  forenoon  we  drove  to  the  con- 
vent of  St.  Calixtus  in  Trastevere,  which  is  oc- 
cupied by  the  Benedictines  of  St.  Paul.  I  had 
a  letter  of  introduction  —  which  had  kindly 
been  given  me  by  an  American  bishop  —  to 
Right  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  O.S.B.,  Consultor  of  the 
Holy  Office,  and  who  since  that  time  has  be- 
come ac  abbot.  As  Dr.  Smith  is  a  member  of 
several  of  the  Roman  congregations,  he  was 
absent  from  the  convent  in  attendance  at  one 
of  their  meetings.  We  left  the  letter,  and  Dr. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  271 

Smith  called  on  us  early  the  next  forenoon 
at  the  Minerva  with  offers  to  'show  us  any 
kindness  in  his  power.  As  we  knew  that  he 
must  be  very  busy,  and  perhaps  often  bothered 
by  travellers,  we  requested  of-  him  as  little  as 
possible,  but  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  his 
ready  willingness  to  be  of  service  to  us.  On 
leaving  the  convent  we  visited  the  church  of 
Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere,  which  is  in  close 
proximity  to  St.  Calixtus.  / 

This  church  was  founded  by  Pope  St.  Calix- 
tus in  the  year  224,  and  was  the  first  church 
in  Rome  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It 
was  built  over  a  fountain  of  oil  which  miracu- 
lously sprung  up  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of 
Christ,  as  attested  by  ancient  writers,  both  pa- 
gan and  Christian.  The  present  edifice  was  re- 
built in  the  twelfth  century  by  Pope  Innocent 
II.  We  were  now  in  the  region  of  the  city 
where  the  inhabitants  boast  of  being  descend- 
ants of  the  ancient  Romans.  It  is  narrated 
that  o*>ce  when  one  of  them  wished  to  see  the 
Holy  Father,  and  was  repulsed  by  a  Swiss 
guard,  he  proudly  replied  :  u  Barbarian,  I  am  of 
ancient  Roman  blood,  and  moreover  of  Trojan." 
Whether  the  Swiss  understood  what  he  said  is  not 
related  ;  nor  do  authors  inform  us  whether  the 
Trasteverian  had  been  reading  light  literature./ 


272  A    Visit  to  Europe 

During  the  remainder  of  this  day  and  on 
following  days  we  made  various  excursions 
through  Rome,  but  I  will  not  attempt  to  date 
the  particular  days  on  which  they  were  made, 
describing  them  only  in  the  order,  or  nearly 
the  order,  of  their  occurrence.  Before  making 
any  more  journeys  it  may  be  well  to  preface 
them  with  the  following  introduction :  Rome 
was  founded  by  Romulus — descended  from 
JEneas,  Prince  of  Troy— 753  years  before  the 
birth  of  Christ,  and  reached  the  summit  of  its 
greatness  under  the  Empire  in  the  time  of  Au- 
gustus. Including  its  thickly-populated  sub- 
urbs, it  must  have  extended  over  an  area  thir- 
ty miles  in  diameter,  possessing  from  3,000,000 
to  5,000,000  inhabitants,  and  was  adorned  with 
many  thousand  magnificent  palaces  and  tem- 
ples. Seated  on  her  seven  hills,  she  was  queen 
of  the  whole  civilized  world.  Though  her  citi- 
zens travelled  to  the  most  distant  lands  and 
entered  the  gates  of  strangely  foreign  cities,  a 
Roman  soldier  stood  on  guard  at  every  gate. 
On  the  shining  waters  of  every  sea  then  known 
to  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth,  the  oars 
of  the  Roman  galleys  flashed  in  the  bright  sun- 
light. In  order  that  the  reader  may  revive  a 
few  fjicts  in  his  memory,  I  would  remind  him 
that  ancient  Rome  was  built  on  both  banks  of  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  273 

the  Tiber,  but  was  chiefly  situated  on  its  east- 
ern side.  It  occupied  seven  hills,  and  in  fact 
extended  upon  several  others.  Commencing  at 
the  northeast,  and  continuing  down  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  city  towards  the  south,  the 
Quirinal,  Yiminal,  Esquiline,  and  Cselian  lie 
in  irregular  order.  Southwest  of  the  Cselian 
and  near  the  Tiber  is  the  picturesque  Aven- 
tine,  north  of  which  is  the  Palatine,  adorned 
with  the  palaces  of  the  Caesars  ;  and  north- 
west of  the  Palatine  is  the  Capitoline,  the  site 
of  the  citadel  and  of  the  great  temple  of  Ju- 
piter, and  the  smallest  but  most  important 
hill  of  ancient  Rome.  Northwest  of  the  Capi- 
toline is  the  famous  Campus  Martins,  enclosed 
in  a  bend  of  the  Tiber.  Across  the  river  are 
the  Janiculum  and  Vatican  hills,  the  latter 
northeast  of  the  former.  At  the  present  time 
the  northernmost  hill  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Tiber  is  the  Pincian.  I  have  not  pretended 
to  be  exact  in  my  description  of  the  relative 
position  of  these  hills,  but  have  rather  at- 
tempted to  give  a  rough  sketch,  which  the 
mind  will  be  apt  to  retain.  For  example, 
while  I  have  stated  that  the  Quirinal  is  north 
of  the  Yiminal,  I  have  left  out  the  fact  that 
it  also  bounds  its  whole  western  extent ;  for  to 
draw  every  boundary  line  in  an  entire  city 


274  A    Visit  to  Europe 

which  is  not  familiar  to  most  readers,  would 
only  serve  to  confuse  them.  To  give  a  too  full 
description  is  often  hardly  to  describe  at  all./ 
One  of  our  first  excursions  was  over  a  por- 
tion of  the  way  with  which  we  became  partly 
acquainted  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit.  We 
entered  the  ruins  of  the  mighty  Coliseum- 
called  also  the  Flavian  amphitheatre — one  of 
the  greatest  works  of  men.  It  is  situated  be- 
tween the  Palatine,  Esquiline,  and  Cselian  hills, 
and  was  commenced  and  finished  in  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era.  It  is  four  stories 
high,  built  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse,  attaining 
a  height  of  157  feet,  and  (530  feet* long  by«613 
feet  wide,  covering  six  acres  of  ground,  and 
capable  of  accommodating  more  than  100,000 
spectators.  In  the  celebration  of  some  of  its 
great  feasts  5,000  wild  beasts  and  10,000  gladi- 
ators were  engaged.  St.  Ignatius,  a  convert  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist,  and  Bishop  of  An- 
tioch,  and  thousands  of  early  Christian  martyrs, 
moistened  the  soil  of  its  arena  with  their  life- 
blood.  I  saw  with  sadness  that  Christianity 
has  taken  away  the  emblems  of  religion  and 
abandoned  it  again  to  paganism,  but  the  blood 
of  its  martyrs  is  the  seed  that  shall  give  birth 
to  the  new  army  of  heroes  and  saints  who  at 
no  distant  time  shall  destroy  modern  heathen- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  275 

ism  with  the  fiery,  avenging  sword  of  Christian 
charity.  We  next  visited  the  ancient  church 
of  St.  Clement.  It  is  partly  in  the  hands  of  the 
Irish  Dominicans.  St.  Clement— who  is  spoken 
of  by  St.  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Philippians— 
was  third  pope  after  St.  Peter,  and  this  church 
was  erected  over  the  site  of  the  house  of  his 
family.  From  excavations  that  have  been 
made  in  modern  times  the  ruins  of  an  older, 
grander,  and  much  more  extensive  church  have 
been  found  beneath  the  present  edifice;  and 
still  lower  has  been  discovered  masonry  be- 
longing to  imperial  and  republican  Home. 
Under  the  high  altar  are  the  bones  of  St.  Ig- 
natius, St.  Clement,  and  Flavius  Clemens,  a 
martyred  cousin  of  the  Emperor  Domitian.\ 

In  this  church  is  a  marble  slab  which  con- 
tains an  inscription  that  tells  such  a  touching 
story  of  piety  that  I  wrill  transcribe  it  from  a 
celebrated  work  on  Home:  "In  the  sixth  cen- 
tury there  lived  at  Rome  a  holy  beggar  named 
Servulus.  He  was  paralyzed  from  his  child- 
hood, and  could  neither  stand  straight,  nor 
raise  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  or  turn  himself  on 
his  bed.  His  brother  and  his  mother  watched 
over  him,  and  carried  him  each  day  to  the 
church  of  St.  Clement,  and  placed  him  in  the 
vestibule.  He  gave  to  the  other  poor  all  that 


276  A    Visit  to  Europe 

he  received  in  charity,  beyond  what  was  nec- 
essary for  his  own  wants.  He  used  to  stop 
the  faithful,  and  ask  them  to  do  some  charity 
for  his  soul.  They  willingly  read  for  him  some 
chapters  from  the  holy  books.  He  listened  so 
attentively  that  he  soon  knew  the  entire  of 
Holy  Scripture.  He  then  daily  passed  his 
time  in  singing  the  praises  of  God.  His  suf- 
ferings only  rendered  his  fervor  greater  and  his 
voice  sweeter.  One  day,  as  he  lay  on  his  bed 
in  the  vestibule  of  the  church,  he  asked  the  poor 
and  pilgrims  who  were  around  him  to  pray  and 
sing  for  him,  as  he  knew  his  end  was  approach- 
ing. He  joined  with  them  in  their  songs  of 
praise.  Suddenly  he  desired  them  to  stop  and 
listen  to  the  sweet  melody  of  the  heavenly  choir. 
At  these  words  he  expired,  and  his  soul  went 
to  join  the  angels  in  their  eternal  song."| 

The  Irish  Dominican  father  who  accompanied 
us  through  the  edifice  would  not  go  with  us, 
at  that  season  of  the  year,  into  the  excavations 
under  the  church,  for  he  said  that  he  had  once 
got  the  Roman  fever  in  that  way  ;  so  we  lighted 
our  tapers  and  went  alone.-  It  was  not  so  in- 
teresting as  it  would  have  been  if  we  had 
studied  the  subject  better  beforehand,  and  had 
been  perfectly  sure  that  \ve  might  not  at  any 
moment  fall  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  It 


and  the  Holy  Land,  277 

contains  a  number  of  figures  and  frescoes  ex- 
tending through  seven  centuries,  but  which 
could  not  be  seen  to  such  good  advantage  as 
those  in  the  Christian  museum  of  the  Lateran, 
or  those  in  the  long  staircase  leading  into  the 
church  of  St.  Agnes  outside  the  walls.  / 

During  the  afternoon  we  again  visited  the 
basilica  of  St.  John  Lateran.  This  church  is 
situated  on  the  Cselian  Hill,  near  the  walls,  in 
the  southeast  part  of  the  city.  In  front  of  the 
church  is  the  largest  Egyptian  obelisk  in  the 
world,  and  the  oldest  object  in  Rome.  With 
the  pedestal  it  is  153  feet  in  height  and 
weighs  600  tons.  It  is  of  red  granite,  and 
was  erected  before  the  temple  of  the  sun  in 
Thebes  nearly  thirty-five  hundred  years  ago. 
The  church  of  the  Lateran  is  the  cathedral 
church  of  the  Pope,  and  takes  precedence  of 
all  other  churches  in  the  wwld.  Hence  it 
bears  upon  its  noble  front  the  inscription : 
"The  most  holy  Lateran  Church,  the  mother 
and  head  of  all  the  churches  of  the  city  and 
world."  It  was  founded  by  Constantine,  and 
was  so  magnificent  in  gold  and  silver  that  it 
was  called  the  Golden  Basilica.  But  I  must 
conform  to  my  original  intention,  and  not 
write  a  guide  book  or  one  filled  with  dry  and 
uninteresting  details.  For  what  are  even  ar- 


278  A    Visit  to  Europe 

tistic  statues  and  paintings  in  comparison  with 
the  spiritual  beauty  and  historical  greatness 
of  the  edifice?  Yet  I  did  not  pass  by  its 
colossal  statues  and  ancient  mosaics — even 
though  I  omit  to  describe  them — without  a 
profound  admiration  for  the  vast  and  skilful 
labors  that  genius  has  bestowed  on  ,the  con- 
struction and  adornment  of  this  venerable  ca- 
thedral. At  the  time  of  our  visit  a  very  ex- 
pensive restoration  was  being  made,  which  has 
since  been  brought  to  a  completion  worthy  of 
the  ancient  fame  of  the  "mother  and  mistress 
of  churches."/ 

The  papal  altar  of  St.  John  Lateran  con- 
tains a  large  portion  of  the  one  on  which  St. 
Peter  offered  the  Holy  Sacrifice  ;  and  over  it 
are  the  heads  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  In  this 
church  are  preserved  the  table  on  which  our 
Lord  instituted  the  Holy  Eucharist,  a  part  of 
the  purple  robe  put  over  His  shoulders  in  the 
court  of  the  palace  of  Pilate,  a  piece  of  the 
sponge  filled  with  vinegar  and  gall  which  they 
offered  Him  to  drink,  a  part  of  the  tunic 
which  St.  John  the  Evangelist  wore,  and  a 
part  of  a  chain  with  which  he  was  bound,  as 
well  as  other  relics  of  many  saints  and  mar- 
tyrs. Five  general  councils  have  assembled 
within  the  venerable  walls  of  this  basilica, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  279 

and  a  long  line  of  popes  have  here  been  en- 
throned. As  on  our  first  visit  we  had  ascend- 
ed the  Holy  Stairway  near  the  Lateran,  we 
did  not  on  this  occasion  perform  that  sorrow- 
ful devotion.  We  paid  a  brief  visit  to  the 
Lateran  palace,  which  was  the  residence  of  the 
popes  for  a  thousand  years.  It  is  now  turned 
into  a  museum,  where  we  saw  a  fine  collec- 
tion of  sarcophagi,  engravings,  and  inscrip- 
tions, taken  from  the  catacombs  and  ancient 
churches  and  basilicas.  / 

We  next  went  to  the  church  of  Santa  Croce 
in  Gerusalemme.  The  church  of  the  Holy 
Cross  in  Jerusalem  is  situated  east  of  the  church 
of  St.  John  Lateran,  and  on  the  southeastern 
extremity  of  the  Esquiline.  After  Constantine 
had  seen  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  the  sky, 
and  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  his 
mother,  St.  Helena,  found  the  true  cross  in 
Jerusalem.  She  brought  it  to  Rome,  together 
with  a  large  quantity  of  soil  from  Mount 
Calvary.  For  their  reception  Constantine  then 
built  this  church,  which  has  since  been  sever- 
al times  restored.  The  church  and  relics  are 
now  in  the  hands  of  the  Cistercians.  We  were 
conducted  by  a  monk  to  a  chapel  in  connec- 
tion with  the  church,  where  we  were  shown 
some  of  the  most  sacred  relics  anywhere  pre- 


280  A    Visit  to  Europe 


served — a  large  portion  of  the  true  cross, 
thorns  from  the  crown  of  our  Saviour,  one  of 
the  nails  that  was  driven  through  His  sacred 
flesh  into  the  cross,  one  of  the  fingers  which 
St.  Thomas  put  into  the  wound  of  His  side, 
and  a  large  part  of  the  cross  of  the  penitent 
thief.  This  church  also  contains  the  inscrip- 
tion placed  over  the  head  of  the  Crucified : 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  JeWs." 
In  the  pavement  of  the  church  are  a  number 
of  stones  brought  from  the  hill  of  Calvary. 
At  the  present  time  the  situation  of  Santa 
Croce  seems  like  a  country  place  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city.\ 

Our  next  visit  was  made  to  St.  Maria  Mag- 
giore,  called  also  St.  Mary's  of  the  Snow  and 
St.  Mary's  of  the  Crib.  It  is  the  largest  and 
chief  church  in  Rome  dedicated  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in 
the  world.  About  the  middle  of  the  fourth 
century  a  noble  Roman  husband  and  wife, 
desiring  to  devote  their  patrimony  to  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin  for  the  honor  and  service  of  God, 
saw  in  the  night  a  vision  of  the  Blessed  Mother, 
who  directed  them  to  build  a  church  in  her 
honor  on  the  , place  which  on  the  following 
morning  should  be  covered  with  snow.  When 
the  next  day  dawned  upon  the  world  it  re- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  281 

vealed  the  Esquiline  hill  covered  with  a  beauti- 
ful mantle  of  snow,  although  it  was  in  the  month 
of  August,  a  season  of  extreme  heat  in  Rome. 
Pope  Liberius  and  the  noble  patrician  John 
came  to  explain  to  the  people  the  meaning  of 
the  miracle,  for  a  great  number  had  gathered 
together  to  witness  so  strange  a  sight.  A 
grand  church  was  soon  erecied  and  dedicated 
to  the  Mother  of  God,  which,  although  several 
times  restored  or  enlarged,  was  the  same  one 
we  now  entered.  In  its  construction  as  well 
as  in  its  more  recent  restorations  rich  and 
rare  materials  were  used  that  have  been  obtain- 
ed from  different  sources,  the  ceilings  being 
gilded  with  the  first  gold  brought  by  Colum- 
bus from  America. \ 

The  most  important  relic  preserved  in  this 
church  is  that  which  gives  it  one  of  its  titles— 
the  crib  or  manger  in  which  the  Divine  Child 
was  laid  in  the  stable  of  Bethlehem,  and  which 
is  placed  on  the  high  altar  during  Pontifical 
Mass  on  Christmas.  Beneath  the  high  altar 
and  in  other  parts  of  the  church  are  many  no- 
table relics  of  the  Saints  of  God — members  of 
their  bodies,  and  sometimes  the  entire  body— 
among  which  are  very  important  relics  of 
the  Apostles  and  of  the  companions  of  their 
apostolic  labors,  Here  are  also  some  very 


282  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ancient  mosaics  which  were  referred  to  by 
the  Council  of  Nice.  Over  the  altar  of  the 
Borghese  Chapel  is  an  ancient  picture  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  said  to  have  been  painted 
by  St.  Luke,  which  Pope  St.  Gregory  the 
Great  carried  in  solemn  procession  through 
Rome  in  the  sixth  century.  It  was  not  ex- 
posed to  view  on  the  day  of  our  visit,  so  I  re- 
turned on  the  following  Sunday,  when  I  saw 
it.  A  man  who  pointed  out  to  us  some  of  the 
objects  of  interest,  having  keys  which  admitted 
to  various  chapels,  at  length  brought  us  into 
a  sacristy,  and  desired  to  take  our  order  for 
an  altar,  a  tabernacle,  or  some  other  article  of 
church  furniture,  to  be  made  of  variegated 
Italian  marble.  Judging  from  the  specimens 
which  he  showed  us  and  the  prices  he  gave, 
one  in  need  of  artistic  articles  of  this  kind 
could  make  from  him  a  satisfactory  purchase. 
During  the  remainder  of  the  day  we  visited 
other  churches  and  places  of  interest,  but  I 
have  now  forgotten  which  ones  they  were.  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  283 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   HOLY   FATHER — EDUCATION,  RELIGION, 
AND    ART. 

WHEN  we  arrived  in  Rome  on  our  second 
visit  the  time  for  public  audiences  given  by 
the  Holy  Father  was  ended  for  the  summer. 
As  we  had  no  reason  for  a  private  audience, 
we  should  have  felt  guilty  of  robbing  the  Pope 
of  some  of  his  precious  time  if  we  had  obtained 
one ;  although  we  were  told  that  we  should 
probably  be  received  by  His  Holiness  if  we 
made  application  through  those  with  whom 
our  friends  had  influence.  But  as  we  only 
wished  to  see  our  Holy  Father  and  receive 
his  blessing,  we  accepted  the  kind  offer  of  Dr. 
Schulte  to  obtain  for  us  tickets  of  invitation 
to  a  discussion  in  theology  and  canon  and 
civil  law,  to  take  place  in  the  Vatican,  at 
which  His  Holiness  was  to  preside.  The  next 
day,  at  the  appointed  hour,  we  passed  the 
Swiss  Guard,  and  were  directed  to  the  large 
hall  where  the  intellectual  contest  was  to  take 
place.  It  was  soon  filled  with  several  hundred 
students  and  priests,  and  a  large  number  of 


284  A    Visit  to  Europe 


monsigiiori  and  bishops.  We  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  some  of  the  most  distinguished  pro- 
fessors and  men  of  learning  in  Rome  or  the 
world.  Among  those  present  was  occasionally 
seen  a  priest  without  the  tonsure,  indicating 
that  he  came  from  some  land  less  Catholic  in 
its  customs.  I  also  noticed  one  priest  of  the 
Greek  rite,  distinguishable  not  so  much  by  his 
beard — as  others  present  wore  one — as  by  his 
long  hair,  parted  in  the  middle,  to  which  we 
had  become  accustomed  in  the  East. 

In  a  short  lime  side  doors  were  thrown, 
open,  and  several  of  the  Noble  Guard  led  a 
procession  the  most  distinguished  that  I  had 
ever  seen.  About  fifteen  cardinals  entered, 
wearing  over  their  dark  cassocks  beautiful 
scarlet  silk  ferraiolos,  and  on  their  heads 
skull-caps  of  the  same  color  and  material. 
Following  them, 

In  robes  of  purest  white, 
Christ's  Vicar  came,  reflecting  heaven's  light.  \ 

Leo  XIII.  was  before  me.  His  great  piety,  his 
highly  cultivated  classical  and  literary  abili- 
ties, his  profound  learning,  his  broad  grasp  of 
intellect,  his  high  rank  among  men  of  science, 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  men  and  public  af- 
fairs, his  enlightened  Christian  statesmanship, 
were  almost  forgotten  in  the  one  thought  that 


and  the  Holy  Land.  285 

tilled  my  mind  :  He  is  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ 
whom  mine  eyes  behold !  The  exercises  lasted 
about  three  hours,  and  during  almost  the  entire 
time  the  countenance  of  the  Holy  Father,  who 
sat  in  a  chair  in  the  middle  of  the  platform, 
was  lighted  up  with  a  pleasant  and  benignant 
smile.  The  opening  address  was  delivered  in 
Latin,  the  language  of  all  the  exercises,  by 
Cardinal  Parocchi.  After  the  discussions  the 
Holy  Father  delivered  a  short  address.  He 
seemed  very  animated,  but  I  noticed  that  he 
was,  notwithstanding,  very  deliberate  in  his 
utterances.  \ 

When  all  was  over  we  retired  to  the  church 
of  St.  Peter,  which  we  commenced  to  visit  with 
more  reference  to  details,  beginning  on  the 
light  of  the  door  of  entrance,  with  guide-book 
in  hand,  and  making  the  circuit  of  the  entire 
church.  This  visit  could  not  be  finished  in  a 
few  hours,  but  had  to  be  continued  on  the 
following  days.  While  it  took  so  much  time 
and  care,  it  was  continuously  interesting,  and, 
once  completed,  our  after-visits  possessed  an 
attraction  and  pleasure  which  they  could  not 
before  enjoy.  In  writing  about  St.  Peter's  it  is 
useless  to  enter  into  particulars  ;  a  good  sized 
volume  might  be  written  on  this  great  church, 
and  the  subject  not  be  half-exhausted.  I  prefer 


286  A    Visit  to  Europe 

to  leave  such  description  to  guide-books  and  to 
those  who  make  a  specialty  of  it.  I  delight- 
ed to  wander  in  its  every  chapel,  to  kneel  at 
its  wondrous  shrines,  and  to  breathe  in  the 
broad  and  grand  catholicity  which  seems  to 
have  a  living  existence  within  its  majestic  walls.\ 
Having  had  my  name  registered,  I  received 
the  privilege  of  celebrating  Mass  in  its  Sacred 
Crypt  at  six  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning.  As 
I  nearly  always  wore  the  cassock,  ferraiolo, 
and  clerical  hat  when  I  visited  the  Roman 
churches,  and  having  a  fall  beard,  I  do  not 
think  that  any  of  those  around,  except  those 
to  whom  my  papers  were  presented,  suspected 
my  nationality  or  race.  When  I  said  Mass  at 
other  altars  in  this  church  I  was  accompan- 
ied from  the  sacristy  by  the  server,  who  car- 
ried with  him  two  wax  candles,  which  he 
placed  on  the  altar  and  lighted.  T  do  not 
remember  that  the  bell  was  rung  at  any  Mass 
that  I  said  in  Rome.  If  it  was  ever  rung  it 
was  an  exception.  I  noticed  that  we  always 
had  in  the  Mass  an  "  o ratio  impe^ata,"  which 
was  changed  several  times  during  two  weeks. 
On  the  morning  that  I  said  Mass  in  the  Crypt 
I  was  accompanied  from  the  sacristy  by  two 
young  men,  one  of  whom  unlocked  the  gates 
and  doors  and  prepared  the  altar,  and  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  287 

other  served  my  Mass.  They  were;,  older  than 
my  former  servers,  being,  I  should  judge,  more 
than  twenty  years  of  age,  and  wearing  Roman 
collars  and  purple  cassocks.  They  were  very 
obliging,  and  did  all  that  they  could  do  to 
serve  me,  and  we  parted  without  any  mar  of 
politeness  and  without  disappointment  on  the 
part  of  either  of  us.  The  Romans  everywhere 
j)leased  me,  and  no  people  that  I  saw  abroad 
made  a  better  impression  on  my  mind.  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  seen  a  brazen  looking 
girl — except  in  statuary— during  our  stay  in 
Rome.  When  I  had  finished  my  Mass  I  ob- 
served that  they  were  preparing  for  the  cele- 
bration of  the  next  Mass  by  a  bishop.  I  made 
my  thanksgiving  and  retired,  accompanied  by 
my  server.  As  wre  came  out  through  the  last 
gate  the  episcopal  procession  came  in  sight. 
It  was  probably  a  not  unusual,  but  after  all  it 
was  a  strange  procession  for  St.  Peter's.  The 
bishop  was  accompanied  by  two  priests,  dress- 
ed like  himself  in  the  awkward-looking  cleri- 
cal coat  of  heretical  lands,  regulation  panta- 
loons, and  carrying  the  Usual  high  silk  hats 
in  their  hands.  The  clergy  were  accompanied 
by  several  ladies,  stylishly  dressed,  who  were 
doomed  to  disappointment.  When  they  came 
to  the  first  gate,  which  was  unlocked  for  the 


288  A    Visit  to  Europe 


clergy,  the  ladies  were  turned  back,  as  females 
are  not  allowed  to  enter  the  Crypt  except  by 
papal  permission,  and  thus  the  beautiful  sym- 
metry of  the  procession  was  broken. 

Although  we  remained  in  Rome  only  a  short 
time,  St.  Peter's  became  very  familiar  to  me, 
and  even  now  I  seem  once  more  to  walk  over 
its  pavements  on  my  way  to  its  holy  shrines 
and  altars ;  and  I  seem  once  more  to  hear  in 
the  morning  requiems,  when  but  few  worshippers 
were  in  the  church,  the  solemn,  musical  voices 
floating  majestically  but  sweetly  through  the 
aisles  and  chapels,  and  among  the  arches  of 
the  world's  cathedral.  I 

A  few  evenings  after  our  arrival  in  Rome  we 
had  a  pleasant  audience  with  His  Eminence 
Cardinal  Simeoni,  Cardinal  Prefect  of  the  Prop- 
aganda. He  probably  does  more  hard  work 
than  any  other  cardinal  in  Rome.  Neverthe- 
less he  is  as  pleasant  and  affable  as  if  he  had 
nothing  else  to  do  but  entertain  visitors  from 
America.  I  felt  a  twinge  .of  conscience  that 
we  should  take  up  so  much  of  his  valuable 
time,  but,  as  it  is  Roman  etiquette  that  the  car- 
dinal should  make  the  sign  for  departure,  we 
could  not  transgress  the  proprieties ;  so  we 
talked  about  America,  the  newspapers,  and  ec- 
clesiastical affairs,  while  he  asked  us  numerous 


and  the  Holy  Land.  289 


questions.  But  lie  seemed  really,  more  inter- 
ested about  affairs  in  the  Orient  than  in  the 
Occident,  rather  confirming  a  preconceived  opin- 
ion that  Rome  at  the  present  time  is  tak- 
ing special  interest  in  the  return  of  the  Oriental 
schismatics  to  the  Church.  We  retired  from 
his  presence  with  a  great  confidence  in  Ids 
splendid  ability  to  perform  the  vast  labors  of 
his  high  office  with  the  best  results  to  the  mis- 
sionary portion  of  the  Church  of  God  \ 

Our  next  visits  were  made  to  the  Sistine 
Chapel  and  the  various  galleries  "and  museums 
of  the  Vatican.  The  Vatican  Palace  was  found- 
ed by  Pope  St.  Symmachus,  who  reigned  dur- 
ing the  last  years  of  the  fifth  and  opening 
years  of  the.  sixth  century.  We  passed  tlio 
Swiss  Guard  in  their  picturesque  and  artistic 
uniforms,  and  went  up  the  Scala  Regia  and 
were  admitted  into  the  Sistine  Chapel.  This 
is  the  papal  chapel,  and  possesses  as  an  al- 
tar-piece the  celebrated  fresco  by  Michael  An- 
gelo,  "  The  Last  Judgment."  It  covers  the 
entire  end-wall,  and  is  sixty-four  feet  in  width. 
Many  years  before  this  fresco  was  produced 
the  ceiling  was  painted  in  twenty  months  by  the 
same  artist.  Both  these  paintings  are  consid- 
ered by  different  authorities  as  the  greatest 
masterpieces  in  fresco,  and  the  culmination  of 


290  A    Visit  to  Europe 

modern  art.  The  "Last  Judgment"  is  very 
much  dimmed  by  age  and  incense,  and  it 
would  require  an  artist  fully  to  appreciate 
its  merits.  Photographers  were  taking  photo- 
graphs of  some  of  the  figures  on  the  ceiling, 
throwing  light  on  them  artificially  to  get  a 
clearer  picture.  We  next  went  to  the  Stanze 
of  Raphael,  which  consists  of  allegorical,  bibli- 
cal, and  historical  paintings.  These  works  are 
considered  by  many  to  be  his  greatest  efforts, 
and  rivalled  only  by  Michael  Angelo's  fres- 
coes in  the  Sistine  Chapel.  We  then  studied 
the  beautiful  biblical  scenes  in  Raphael's  Log- 
gie,  called  "  Raphael's  Bible."  The  time  for 
closing  came  and  we  should  return  another 
day.  Leaving  the  Vatican,  we  spent  several 
hours  in  St.  Peter's.\ 

The  following  day  we  went  directly  to  the 
"  Picture  Gallery,"  which  contains  some  of 
the  most  important  masterpieces  in  existence. 
Among  them  are  the  "  Transfiguration "  and 
the  "Madonna  of  Foligno,"  by  Raphael,  and 
the  "Last  Communion  of  St.  Jerome,"  by  Do- 
menichino,  a  number  of  others  by  Raphael, 
Murillo,  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Titian,  Perugino, 
Guercino,  and  other  world-renowned  artists. 
We  spent  about  two  hours  contemplating  these 
great  works  of  genius.  We  then  visited  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  291 


Vatican  Museum,  or  collection  pf  antiquities. 
Collected  in  its  vast  halls  and  galleries  are  hun- 
dreds of  the  most  remarkable  works  of  ancient 
art.  It  was  but  reasonable  that  we  should  se- 
lect for  special  inspection  the  statuary  most 
highly  prized  by  artists  of  cultivated  taste, 
whose  own  works  have  proven  their  capability 
of  just  appreciation.  Before  two  masterpieces 
I  remained  much  longer  than  before  any  others, 
however  worthy  of  attention.  The  genius  of 
the  minds  that  conceived  them  and  the  hands 
that  chiselled  them  is  evident  even  to  the  eye 
less  skilled  than  that  of  an  artist.  The  first  of 
these  is  the  famous  group  of  the  Laocoon,  who 
with  his  two  sons  is  being  strangled  by  ser- 
pents. It  was  executed  by  artists  of  the  Rho- 
dian  school.  The  second  is  the  beautiful  statue 
of  Apollo  Belvedere,  probably  of  the  same  age 
as  the  other  in  the  history  of  art.\ 

These  masterpieces  of  genius  are  in  a  state 
of  almost  perfect  preservation.  It  is  different 
with  some  other  specimens  of  remarkable  excel- 
lence. Among  those  that  are  most  noted  are  a 
bust  of  Zeus,  or  Jupiter,  formerly  regarded  as  a 
faithful  copy  of  the  Zeus  of  Phidias,  the  great- 
est of  the  Grecian  sculptors;  a  " Daughter  of 
Niobe,"  probably  a  work  of  Praxiteles  or  Sco- 
pus, both  of  whom  were  among  the  most  dis- 


292  A    Visit  to  Europe 

tinguished  of  Grecian  artists  ;  a  torso  of  Her- 
cules, by  Apollonius  the  Athenian;  "  Apoxy- 
omenos,"  an  athlete  cleaning  his  arm  with  a 
scraping-iron,  probably  a  true  copy  from  Lysip- 
pus,  and  several  other  fine  copies  of  the  great 
Grecian  artists.  It  is  altogether  probable  that 
some  of  the  fragments  of  ancient  art  contained 
in  this  Clementine  museum  are  the  actual  pro- 
ductions of  some  of  the  greatest  sculptors  that 
Greece  or  the  world  ever  saw.  For  want  of 
time  we  did  not  visit  many  other  museums,  but 
afterwards  I  was  sorry  that  we  did  not  enter 
them  and  see  one  or  other  piece  of  statuary 
which  most  interested  us.  In  this  way  we 
might  have  seen  the  "Dying  Gladiator"  of  the 
Capitoline,  and  the  "Sophocles"  of  the  Lat- 
eran,  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  ancient  art 
to  be  found  in  Rome.  We  returned  by  the 
way  we  came,  making  the  circuit  of  St.  Peter's, 
which  enabled  us  to  realize  better  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  that  magnificent  structure.  We  were 
invited  to  enter  the  Vatican  stables  and  inspect 
the  grand  papal  carriage  of  state,  ornamented 
with  scarlet  and  gold.  My  companion  wanted 
to  enter  it,  but  was  not  permitted ;  he  also 
wanted  to  sit  on  the  throne  of  Naples,  but  was 
unsuccessful ;  and  he  ascribed  all  his  ill-luck 
to  us  who  were  less  ambitious,! 


and  the  Holy  Land.  293 


CHAPTER  XX y. 

SACRED    AND    HISTORIC    PLACES    OF    PAGAN    AND 
CHRISTIAN    ROME. 

/  ONE  of  our  excursions  while  in  Rome  was 
past  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  and  the  baths  of 
Caracal  la,  and  out  on  the  ancient  Appian  Way— 
built  312  B.C. — to  the  church  of  St.  Sebastian, 
one  of  the  "Seven  Churches  of  Rome."  We 
passed  out  of  the  gate  of  St.  Sebastian,  and 
rode  over  the  Appian  Way,  which  in  the  days 
of  Rome's  glory  was  the  highway  on  which 
were  witnessed  the  diversified  scenes  and  tri- 
umphal processions  of  her  historic  centuries. 
I  seemed  to  see  marching  out  of  the  great  gate 
and  over  the  regal  road,  which  led  to  the  thou- 
sand highways  on  land  and  sea  that  reached 
the  extremities  of  the  earth,  the  military  legions 
of  imperial  Rome,  their  arms  and  armor  flash- 
ing in  the  golden  sunlight  of  a  land  of  sun- 
shine, and  their  imperial  banners  floating  in 
breezes  that  seemed  like  the  divine  breath  of 
the  gods  of  war.  Proud  Roman  forms  march 
beneath  those  ever-victorious  battle-flags,  and 
brave,  intellectual  Roman  faces  are  lighted  with 
the  smile  of  the  lover  in  remembrance,  and  of 


294  A    Visit  to   Europe 


the  hero  whose  eyes  are  directed  towards  the 
aurora  which  will  usher  in  a  day  of  martial 
deeds,  and  victory,  and  undying  glory  to  proud 
and  adored  Rome./ 

Better  far  that  those  brave  Roman  soldiers 
si  jail  die  on  the  field  where  Roman  eagles 
triumph  than  return  to  the  welcome  and  de- 
baucheries of  the  imperial  mistress  of  the  world. 
We  seemed  to  see  the  decimated  legions  return- 
ing from  foreign  lands  and  conquest.  Their 
step  is  more  wearied,  but  none  the  less  that  of 
Roman  soldiers  ;  their  smile  is  changed  ;  from 
the  faces  of  some  it  has  departed,  for  they  re- 
turn to  desolate  homes  ;  on  the  faces  of  others 
its  brightness  has  been  toned  into  fairer  lines 
and  sweeter  expression  by  hardships  in  strange 
lands,  and  wounds  upon  the  battle-field,  and 
perhaps  gentle  and  kind-hearted  deeds  towards 
friend  and  foe  ;  on  the  faces  of  others  it  has 
developed  more  fully  into  cynical  pride,  or  even 
downright  cruelty  of  expression.  How  many 
times  this  regal  road  has  echoed  to  the  steps 
and  chariot-wheels  of  returning  victorious 
armies,  when  the  lofty  Roman  gateways  have 
opened  to  receive  them,  and  the  Roman  people, 
proud  of  their  conquests,  have  met  them  with 
shouts  of  welcome  and  applause !  Captives 
from  distant  and  strange  lands  have  seen  those 


and  the  Holy  Land.  295 

Roman  gates  close  upon  them,  ^the  seal  upon 
their  living  tomb  of  liberty,  and  the  symbol  of 
a  life-long  slavery.  The  songs  of  victory  by 
the  victors  are  often  the  de,ath-notes  of  liberty 
to  the  vanquished./ 

In  a  short  time  we  came  to  the  wayside  chap- 
el, "Domine  quo  Vadis."  It  is  related  that  St. 
Peter,  having  been  rescued  from  the  Mame.r- 
tine  prison,  was  prevailed  on  to  make  his  escape 
from  martyrdom,  and  fled  over  the  same  road 
on  which  wearily  he  had  entered  the  city  twenty 
years  before.  At  this  spot  he  was  met  by  his 
Lord  bearing  His  cross  and  going  towards  the 
city.  St.  Peter  asked  Him:  "Lord,  whither 
goest  Thou?"  Our  Lord  answered:  "  I  go  to 
be  crucified  again."  St.  Peter  returned  to 
Rome  and  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 
This  tradition  is  considered  by  candid  histo- 
rians to  be  well  verified.  About  one  and  one- 
fourth  mile  from  the  gate  appeared  the  entrance 
to  the  catacombs  of  St.  Calixtus,  shaded  with 
cypresses.  These  are  the  most  interesting  and 
important  catacombs  in  or  about  Rome.  As  it 
is  deemed  unhealthy  to  enter  them  during  July, 
we  had  to  be  satisfied  with  alighting  and  mak- 
ing an  inspection  of  the  surroundings,  and 
plucking  a  few  flowers  as  mementoes  of  the  an- 
cient tombs  of  saints  and  martyrs.  Such  a  visit 


296  A    Visit  to  Europe 

is  seemingly  superficial,  but  oftentimes  since, 
in  the  recitation  of  the  Roman  Breviary,  when 
I  have  read  that  the  body  of  some  early  martyr 
was  buried  and  reposes  in  the  cemetery  of  St. 
Calixtus  on  the  Appian  Way,  it  lias  added  a 
new  spirit  to  my  devotion.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  catacombs  are  chiefly  composed  of 
underground  streets  not  more  than  three  feet 
wide,  and  from  seven  to  fifteen  feet  in  height, 
where  the  dead  were  buried  in  tiers  of  graves 
on  either  side.  There  were  in  all  160  different 
catacombs  bordering  on  public  ways,  and  con- 
taining about  900  miles  of  streets.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  each  seven  feet  in  length  contains 
five  graves  on  each  side,  which  would  show  the 
whole  number  of  graves  to  be  more  than  six 
millions.  / 

In  another  quarter  of  a  mile  we  had  arrived  at 
the  church  of  St.  Sebastian.  The  original  church 
was  founded  by  Constantine  the  Great,  and  was 
dedicated  by  St.  Sylvester.  It  was  built  over 
the  entrance  to  the  catacombs  of  St.  Sebastian, 
in  which  the  body  of  that  brave  Roman  soldier 
was  buried.  An  inscription  near  the  door  by 
which  they  are  entered  states  that  46  popes 
and  174,000  martyrs  are  buried  here.  In  these 
catacombs  a  number  of  saints  spent  many  hours 
in  prayer ;  among  them  St.  Charles  Borromeo 


and  the  Holy  Land.  297 

here  passed  entire  nights  ;  here  c|lvine  l°ve  s° 
moved  and  inflamed  the  heart  of  St.  Philip 
Neil  that  his  ribs  were  broken  by  its  power ; 
and  here  St.  Bridget  was  rapt  in  ecstatic  vision  ; 
here  also  for  some  time  were  concealed  the 
bodies  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  When  we 
entered  the  church  one  of  its  priests  was  con- 
ducting through  it  a  party  of  Italian  soldiers, 
who  appeared  to  belong  to  some  other  district 
of  Italy,  for  the  time  being  quartered  in  Rome. 
They  were  listening  with  respectful  attention, 
and  were  looking  at  the  relics  and  sacred  places 
with  respectful  demeanor.  Italy  is  without 
doubt  Catholic  at  heart.  Whenever  the  entire 
voting  population  takes  part  in  the  municipal 
elections  in  Rome,  Naples,  and  many  other 
cities,  the  Clerical  party  carries  them  by  im- 
mense majorities.  / 

Among  the  relics  in  this  church  are  the 
heads  of  Popes  St.  Calixtus  and  St.  Stephen, 
an  ancient  leaden  chalice  containing  the  ashes 
of  St.  Fabian,  the  head  of  St.  Fabian,  an  iron 
point  of  one  of  the  arrows  which  pierced  St. 
Sebastian,  and  the  footprint  of  our  Lord  in 
stone,  taken  from  the  place  where  He  appeared 
to  St.  Peter.  Beyond  the  church,  and  rising  on 
a  slightly  higher  eminence,  we  could  see  the 
round,  high  tomb  of  Cecilia  Metella,  who  was 


298  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  wife  of  the  younger  Crassus,  son  of  the 
triumvir.  It  is  65  feet  in  diameter  and  of  cor- 
responding height.  We  did  not  proceed  farther, 
but  returned  over  the  same  way  to  the  city; 
when  we  arrived  at  our  hotel  it  was  near  dark./ 
Another  day  we  visited  the  church  of  St.  Paul 
outside  the  walls,  passing  out  of  the  city  through 
the  gate  of  St.  Paul,  near  which  is  the  pyramid- 
al .tomb— one  hundred  and  twenty -two  feet  in 
height — of  Caius  Cestus,  who  lived  in  the  time 
of  Augustus,  and  who  prepared  the  solemn 
banquets  of  the  gods  in  the  temples  on  certain 
important  occasions.  The  present  structure 
of  St.  Paul's  is  modern,  and  is  probably  the 
finest  church  edifice  built  during  the  nineteenth 
century.  The  interior  is  75  feet  in  height,  '195 
feet  in  width,  and  390  feet  in  length,  and  is  rich 
in  its  varieties  of  tine  marble  and  rare  stone.  It 
contains  several  lofty  pillars  of  yellow  alabaster, 
presented  by  the  viceroy  of  Egypt,  four  of 
which,  fifty  feet  in  height,  support  the  baldac- 
chino  over  the  high  altar.  Used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  this  and  the  side-altars  are  many  expen- 
sive and  beautiful  gifts  of  malachite  from  the 
Emperor  of  Russia.  The  two  side-altars  pre- 
sented by  him  are  valued  at  $100,000.  Mala- 
chite, possessing  a  beautiful  green  color,  under 
almost  any  form  is  very  pleasing  to  the  eye. 
The  mosaics  are  numerous,  and  among  them  a,re 


and  the  Holy  Land.  299 

some  that  are  ancient,  rescued  fipm  the  fire 
which  destroyed  the  old  basilica.  Among  the 
modern  mosaics  are  portraits  of  all  the  popes 
from  St.  Peter  to  our  time.  Each  is  about  five 
feet  in  diameter,  and  taken  as  a  whole  they  are 
an  interesting  study.  My  clerical  companion, 
who,  as  well  as  myself,  wore  a  beard,  took 
special  notice  of  that  particular  aspect  of  these 
historical  pictures.  He  afterwards  told  me  that 
fully  three-fourths  of  the  entire  number  of 
popes  had  worn  a  beard  in  one  form  or  an- 
other. I  had  noticed  the  same  general  fact,  but 
had  not  reduced  my  observations  to  such  math- 
ematical precision.  The  ancient  basilica  of  St. 
Paul  was  built  by  order  of  Constantine,  under 
Pope  St.  Sylvester,  over  the  place  where  the  body 
of  St.  Paul  was  buried.  By  order  of  St.  Sylves- 
ter his  body  was  afterward  divided,  and  half 
placed  here  and  half  in  the  basilica  of  St.  Peter. / 
Usually  these  visits  to  churches  within  the 
city  or  outside  the  walls  were  only  a  part  of 
our  daily  routine.  Frequently  we  would  dis- 
miss our  carriage  at  the  Trajan  or  the  Roman 
Forum,  or  at  some  other  place  of  interest  in 
ancient  or  modern  Rome,  and,  choosing  a  favor- 
able position  where  the  crumbling  monuments 
of  old,  pagan  Rome  mingle  with  the  venerable 
temples  of  early  Christian  times,  we  would 
dream  day-dreams  of  the  departed  centuries. 


300  A    Visit  to  Europe 


And  these  memorable  places  of  antiquity  seemed 
peopled  once  more  with  the  living  men  who  in 
quick  succession  occupied  them,  and  Jived  their 
part  in  history,  and  left  their  monuments  behind 
them  to  tell  to  future  generations  what  they 
had  thought  and  done.  To  the  imaginative 
mind  the  historical  procession  of  centuries  is 
an  interesting  one,  with  its  ever-changing  faces 
and  scenes,  now  peaceful,  now  warlike,  pagan 
and  Christian,  as  it  moves  through  the  streets, 
always  the  same,  but  sometimes  changed  in 
name,  stopping  finally  to  arrange  itself  pic- 
turesquely around  the  selfsame  arches  and 
broken  columns  that  raised  themselves  in  the 
midst  of  the  actual,  living  events  of  the  past./ 

The  forum  of  Trajan  contains  the  cele- 
brated column  of  Trajan,  built  in  the  year 
112  A.D.,  147  feet  in  height,  and  having  around 
it  from  top  to  bottom  a  spiral  band  three  feet 
wide  and  600  feet  in  length,  having  in  bas  relief 
2,500  human  figures,  besides  animals,  engines 
of  war,  etc.  It  was  erected  by  the  "  Senate  and 
Koman  people,  to  the  Emperor  Caesar  Trajan, 
son  of  the  divine  Nerva  Augustus,  German  Da- 
cian,  high- priest,  12  times  tribune,  11  times 
consul,  father  of  his  country."  The  Roman 
Forum  is  far  more  interesting  than  that  of  Tra- 
jan. It  is  situated  at  the  base  of  the  Capitoline 


and  the  Holy  Land.  301 

hill,  and  extends  toward  the  Palatine.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  the  battle-field  where  the 
Romans  under  Romulus,  and  the  Sabines  under 
Tatius,  fought  each  other,  after  the  rape  of 
the  Sabine  women,  who  acted  as  peacemakers, 
rushing  in  between  the  combatants  and  plead- 
ing that  they  preferred  death  to  seeing  either 
their  husbands  or  their  fathers  slain.  After 
the  peaceful  ending  of  the  contest  these 
tribes  made  the  "Forum  their  centre  of  common 
assemblage,  increasing  in  importance  under  the 
Republic  and  Empire.  Through  the  Forum  the 
Via  Sacra,  passing  under  a  number  of  triumphal 
arches,  -led  to  the  Capitol.  On  account  of 
extensive  excavations  the  remnants  of  ancient 
grandeur  in  the  Roman  Forum  are  now  revealed 
to  the  curious  eyes  of  the  nineteenth  century  ; 
columns,  altars,  floors,  and  foundations  of  its 
numerous  temples  dedicated  to  the  gods,  touched 
by  the  finger  of  time  or  broken  by  the  giants 
of  war  and  devastation,  are  crumbling  into  dust, 
and  strew  the  ground  or  raise  their  mutilated 
forms  toward  the  sky.  In  the  midst  of  this  field 
of  ruins  stand  the  gray  and  venerable  arches  of 
triumph,  erected  by  the  pride  of  men,  but  telling 
a  more  important  story  than  the  record  engraved 
on  them  of  battles  and  victory,  the  vanity  of  hu- 
man life  and  the  emptiness  of  human  greatness. 


302  A    Visit  to  Europe 

At  one  extremity  of  the  Forum  stand  the 
vast,  crumbling,  but  still  magnificent  ruins  of 
the  Colosseum.  To  this  part  of  the  city  we  paid 
more  than  an  occasional  visit.  On  one  of  these 
visits,  having  dwelt  for  some  time  in  silent  ad- 
miration on  the  forsaken  centre  of  the  life  of 
ancient  Rome,  we  retired  into  a  church  near  at 
hand.  It  proved  to  be  the  church  of  St.  Joseph, 
erected  over  the  Mamertine  prison,  where  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul  were  confined  before  their 
martyrdom.  In  the  church  were  a  considerable 
number  of  persons  praying.  We  descended 
into  the  lower  dungeons  where  the  two  holy 
Apostles  were  imprisoned,  and  we  had  the 
privilege  of  kissing  with  pious  veneration  the 
place  where  they  were  fastened.  We  also  saw 
the  well  which  St.  Peter  caused  to  flow  that  he 
might  have  water  with  which  to  baptize  his 
jailers,  St.  Processus  and  St.  Martinianus,  cap- 
tains of  the  guard,  together  with  forty  others, 
who  soon  afterwards  received  the  martyr's 
crown.  In  pagan  times  Jugurtha,  the  African 
king,  after  having  adorned  the  triumph  of  his 
Roman  conqueror,  was  cast  into  this  prison  and 
left  without  food,  where  in  six  days  he  died  of 
starvation,  B.C.  104.  In  this  prison  Lentulus 
and  others,  engaged  in  the  conspiracy  of  the 
infamous  Catiline,  were  strangled  during  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  303 

niglit.  The  Mamertine  prison  is  ^one  of  the 
most  ancient  structures  of  Rome,  which  ante- 
dated even  the  Republic,  and  was  built  by 
Ancus  Martins  or  Servius  Tullius  more  than  six 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  / 

Several  times  we  ascended  the  Capitoline  hill 
and  visited  the  church  of  Ara  Coali.  The  Francis- 
cans of  the  Strict  Observance  have  been  connect- 
ed with  this  church  since  1251,  almost  from  the 
foundation  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  and  the 
monastery  adjoining  has  always  been  one  of  their 
most  important  houses.  The  church  of  Ara 
Co3li  (Altar  of  Heaven)  is  one  of  the  oldest 
churches  in  Rome.  On  the  ancient  Capitoline 
were  two  chief  eminences,  on  one  of  which  was 
the  arx,  or  citadel,  and  on  the  other  the  magnifi- 
cent temple  of  Jupiter.  It  has  been  disputed 
whether  the  temple  was  built  on  the  northern 
or  southern  summit.  It  is  known  that  the  cita- 
del occupied  the  other.  Most  modern  critics 
agree  that  the  chnrch  of  Ara  Coeli,  which  is  on 
the  northern  eminence,  stands  on  the  site  of  the 
ancient  citadel.  It  is  said  that  on  this  place 
the  pagan  Emperor  Augustus  saw  a  vision  of 
the  Divine  Child  and  Mother,  according  to  an 
inscription  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Helena:  ''This 
chapel,  which  is  called  Ara  Co3li,  is  believed  to 
have  been  erected  on  the  same  spot  where  the 


304  A    Visit  to  Europe 


most  holy  Virgin,  Mother  of  God,  revealed 
herself  with  her  Son  to  Csesar  Augustus  in  a 
golden  circle  in  the  heavens."  The  emperor 
then  built  here  an  altar  to  the  "  First  Born  of 
God,"  which  is  enclosed  within  the  present 
altar.  In  this  church  repose  the  ashes  of  the 
great  empress,  St.  Helena.  Without  doubt  a 
number  of  the  pillars  of  the  present  structure 
of  Ara  Co3li  once  adorned  the  Capitoline  temple 
of  Jupiter.  On  our  first  visit,  while  we  were 
viewing  the  church,  a  Franciscan  father  came 
forward,  and,  having  addressed  us  in  Latin, 
learned  that  we  were  from  America.  He  then 
spoke  in  English,  which  was  evidently  his  native 
tongue.  He  had  been  in  America,  even  in  our 
own  city  of  Milwaukee,  and  knew  one  of  our 
older  priests.  We  did  not  inquire  his  name, 
but  he  gave  us  much  serviceable  information, 
for  which  we  most  sincerely  thanked  him.\ 

We  afterwards  wandered  over  the  Capitoline, 
and  ascended  and  descended  it  from  almost 
every  direction,  where  there  were  streets  and 
where  there  were  none.  Although  the  celebrat- 
ed Tarpeian  rock  is  pointed  out,  inasmuch  as 
its  exact  locality  is  doubtful  we  gave  our  im- 
agination freedom  in  the  choice  of  places  where 
the  criminals  of  Rome  were  hurled  down  to 
death.  In  front  of  the  Capitol  is  a  remarkable 


and  tlic  Holy  Land.  305 

equestrian  statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius^  supposed 
by  many  to  be  in  reality  a  statue  of  Constantine. 
The  Capitoline  is  the  least  extended  but  the 
most  important  of  the  seven  hills  of  Rome. 
Where  Jupiter,  king  of  the  gods  and  chief  of 
the  devils,  once  held  sway,  Jesus-  Christ  now 
rules,  but  never  without  a  contest  with  His  old 
pagan  foe  whom  St.  Michael  cast  out  of  heaven.\ 
Between  the  Palatine  hill  and  the  Tiber, 
quite  near  the  river,  and  not  far  from  the  an- 
cient Circus  Maximus,  is  an  interesting  local- 
ity which  we  twice  visited,  and  which  pos- 
sesses some  excellent  specimens  of  pagan  tem- 
ples changed  into  Christian  churches.  One  of 
these  is  the  ancient  temple  of  Fortuna  Virilis, 
now  the  church  of  St.  Mary  of  Egypt,  probably 
the  oldest  temple  in  Rome,  existing  in  the  time 
of  the  Republic,  and  probably  built  more  than 
five  hundred  years  before  Christ.  It  is  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation,  being  surrounded  by 
pillars,  four  at  each  end  and  seven  at  each 
side.  We  were  unfortunate  in  not  being  able 
to  find  it  open,  although  we  made  two  jour- 
neys with  the  hope  of  gaining  admittance,  and 
passed  it  several  times  But  the  exterior  is 
said  to  be  much  more  interesting  than  the  in- 
side. Near  by  is  an  old  but  elegant  temple  of 
Vesta,  now  the  church  of  S,  Maria  del  Sole,  It 


306  A    Visit  to  Etirope 

is  believed  by  many  to  have  been  built  about 
seven  hundred  years  before  the  time  of  Christ, 
by  Numa  Pompilius,  the  first  king  of  Rome 
after  Romulus,  and  who  instituted  vestals  and 
pontiffs.  By  some  it  is  thought  to  have  been 
a  temple  of  Hercules  Victor.  It  is  twenty- 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  circular  in  form,  and 
surrounded  by  twenty  Corinthian  pillars  of  Pa- 
rian marble,  each  thirty -two  feet  high.  It  is  a 
very  picturesque  object,  in  the  midst  of  a  par- 
tially undisturbed  quarter  of  ancient  Rome. 
Across  the  street  from  this  temple  is  the  church 
of  St.  Mary  in  Cosmedin,  probably  the  second 
church  in  Rome  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin. It  is  built  on  the  foundations  of  an  old 
pagan  temple,  perhaps  that  of  Pudicitia  Patri- 
cia, where  only  noble  unmarried  females  could 
enter ;  but  by  others  it  is  considered  a  temple 
of  Fortune,  ascribed  to  Servius,  sixth  king  of 
Rome,  which  would  consequently  make  it  very 
ancient.  The  church,  though  rebuilt  in  the  year 
772  A.D.,  dates  from  the  third  century,  and 
contains  some  of  the  columns  of  the  original 
temple.  Here  St.  Augustine  taught  rhetoric, 
and  here  lie  the  relics  of  two  hundred  mar- 
tyrs.\ 

Some  distance  north  of    the  Colosseum,  and 
on  the  Esquiline  hill,  is  the  church  of  St.  Pe- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  307 

ter  in  Cliains.  It  is  said  that  on  Jhe  spot 
where  the  church  now  stands  St.  Peter  built 
an  oratory.  It  was  rebuilt  442  A.D.,  to  receive 
the  chains  of  St.  Peter,  those  •  by  which  lie  was 
bound  under  Herod  and  also  under  Nero,  which 
are  miraculously  united.  We  were  aware  of 
the  fact  that  on  account  of  certain  regulations 
we  should  be  unable  to  see  them  ;  but  we  de- 
sired to  visit  this  ancient  church,  not  only  for 
its  holy  associations,  but  because  it  possesses 
the  celebrated  statue  of  Moses  by  Michael  An- 
gelo.  This  great  work,  chiselled  by  the  hand 
of  the  great  master,  is  considered  by  nearly  all 
judges  as  the  grandest  and  most  perfect  pro- 
duction, in  sculpture,  of  Christian  art.  It  was 
originally  intended  for  St.  Peter's  basilica.  In 
this  church  are  the  relics  of  many  saints,  among 
them  the  Machabean  mother  and  her  seven  sons  ; 
and  here  St.  Leo  the  Great  preached  his  sermon 
on  the  "  Festival  and  Martyrdom  of  the  Mach- 
abees,  and  the  Continual  Conflict  of  Christians."/ 
Our  last  Sunday  in  Rome  was  one  of  those 
days  on  which  each  of  our  number  started  out 
in  a  different  direction  from  the  others.  Each 
of  us  had  particular  churches  or  other  objects 
of  interest  which  he  had  not  yet  seen,  and  he 
would  not  feel  satisfied  to  leave  Rome  with- 
out seeing  them.  After  I  had  said  Mass  in  the 


308  A    Visit  to  Europe 


Crypt  of  St.  Peter's,  and  had  eaten  my  break- 
fast, I  took  a  carriage  and  directed  the  driver 
to  go  first  to  the  church  of  St.  Pudentiana.  This 
is  probably  the  first  and  oldest  Christian  church 
in  Rome.  It  is  not  the  oldest  edifice  used  as 
a  Christian  church,  for  some  of  the  pagan 
temples  are  older;  but  it  was  the  first  place 
of  prayer  and  sacrifice  in  the  Eternal  City,  and 
has  ever  since  been  used  as  a  church,  and  for 
three  centuries  was  the  cathedral  of  Rome. 
When  St.  Peter  first  came  to  the  city  he  con- 
verted the  Senator  Pudens,  Priscilla  his  mother, 
his  two  daughters  Pudentiana  and  Praxedes, 
and  his  two  sons  Novatius  and  Timotheus.  St. 
Peter  took  up  his  residence  here — in  the  house 
of  Pudens — where  he  celebrated  the  holy  mys- 
teries. Here  he  consecrated  Linus  and  Cletus. 
What  the  Coenaculum  was  to  Jerusalem,  this 
place  was  to  Rome.  It  is  situated  between  the 
Yiminal  and  Esquiline  hills,  on  the  ancient  Yi- 
cns  Patricias,  or  Patrician  Street.  About  the 
year  100  A.D.  Pope  St.  Evaristus  divided  Rome 
into  parishes  and  gave  the  name  of  "titles"  to 
their  churches  ;  but  this  church,  being  the  pon- 
tifical church,  was  left  without  a  title  until  the 
middle  of  the  second  century,  when  Pope  St. 
Pius  I.  added  to  it  an  oratory  with  the  designa- 
tion of  the  title  of  the  Pastor,  to  which  frequent 


and  the  Holy  Land.  309 

reference  is  made  by  early  Christian  writers. 
When  we  arrived  at  tlie  church  it  was  closed, 
but  the  driver  soon  found  the  custodian,  who 
unlocked  it  and  pointed  out.  to  me  its  chief  his- 
toric attractions.  This  church  is  specially  rich 
in  mosaics,  and  those  in  the  choir  are  among 
the  oldest  and  finest  in  Rome,  dating  not  later 
than  the  fourth  century,  and  representing  our 
Lord  witli  St.  Pudentiana  and  St.  Praxedes, 
and  the  holy  Apostles,  and  the  emblems  of  the 
Evangelists  each  side  of  the  cross.  In  the  aisles 
are  also  some  very  ancient  mosaics  ;  and  the 
old  pillars  of  the  primitive  church  can  still  be 
seen.  The  custodian  directed  me  up  the  left 
aisle  to  the  altar  of  St.  Peter,  which  contains 
the  most  venerable  relic  of  the  church — a  por- 
tion of  the  wooden  altar  on  which  St.  Peter  was 
accustomed  to  offer  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  The 
larger  portion  has  been  removed  to  the  altar  of 
St.  John  Lateran  ;  but  a  large  plank  is  preserved 
here  with  a  glass  covering  before  it,  so  that  it 
can  be  clearly  inspected. \ 

I  knelt  before  that  altar,  and  with  deep  rever- 
ence looked  on  that  sacred  wood  consecrated 
by  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  many  thou- 
sand times  consecrated  by  the  Divine  Offering 
of  Calvary.  How  many  saints  of  the  "city  and 
the  world,"  in  the  different  centuries  from  the 


310  A    Visit  to  Europe 

time  of  St.  Peter  and  the  saintly  family  with 
whom  he  dwelt,  have  knelt  before  that  altar  1 
If,  one  after  another,  the  whole  number  would 
pass  in  procession  before  it,  and  each  for  a  mo- 
ment would  kneel  and  pray,  what  a  long  line 
of  saints  and  martyrs  we  should  behold,  from 
every  rank  in  life,  from  the  canonized  beggar 
to  the  canonized  emperor  and  pontiff,  and  what 
a  grand  manifestation  of  devotion  we  should  wit- 
ness !  My  guide  then  lighted  a  taper  attached 
to  a  long  pole,  and  thrust  it  into  a  deep,  dry 
well,  in  the  bottom  of  which  was  revealed  a 
large  collection  of  human  bones,  which  he  told 
me  were  "the  bones  of  the  martyrs."  The 
bodies  of  nearly  three  thousand  martyrs,  slain 
in  the  early  persecutions,  were  buried  beneath 
this  church.! 

Leaving  St.  Pudentiana's  with  its  holy  memo- 
ries, w7e  drove  to  St.  Maria  Maggiore,  on  our 
way  to  the  church  of  St.  Praxedes,  both  of 
which  were  in  the  neighborhood.  Although 
we  had  already  visited  St.  Mary  Major's,  I 
stopped  to  see  the  picture  of  the  Madonna  by 
St.  Luke,  which  is  exposed  on  Sundays.  It 
now  appears  very  indistinct ;  but  that  matters 
not,  for  its  antiquity  and  venerable  associa- 
tions render  it  far  more  attractive  to  the 
Christian  heart  than  the  grandest  masterpieces 


and  the  Holy  Land.  311 

that  the  world  has  ever  produced.  4. The  very 
atmosphere  surrounding  it  seems  holy,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  hand  of  the  artist  who  traced 
its  lineaments  before  the  living  face  of  the 
Madonna  herself,  but  also  from  the  innumer 
able  prayers  that  have  risen  in  its  presence 
from  pure  lips  and  saintly  souls  to  the  Mother 
and  Son.\ 

Soon  after  we  stood  before  the  closed  portal 
of  the  church  of  St.  Praxedes.  This  church 
is,  I  believe,  in  the  hands  of  the  Olivetan 
monks.  I  was  met  by  one  of  the  monks  at 
the  door  of  an  adjoining  building,  through 
which  I  was  conducted  into  the  church.  It 
was  dedicated  as  an  oratory  as  early  as  the 
second  century,  but  assumed  its  present  noble 
proportions  under  Pope  St.  Paschal  I.  in  the 
year  822.  It  is  adorned  with  many  beautiful 
mosaics  of  the  ninth,  tenth,  and  thirteenth  cen 
turies.  The  mosaic  of  the  ninth  century  is  an 
inspiring  representation  of  heaven.  In  a  side- 
chapel  we  were  shown  a  large  table  of  Sc. 
Charles  Borromeo,  which  he  frequently  used. 
The  church  also  contains  a  number  of  gifts 
presented  by  him,  as  this  was  his  titular  church. 
Near  the  opposite  wall  from  the  high  altar 
is  a  slab  with  this  inscription  :  "  On  this 
slab  slept  St.  Praxedes."  I  was  shown  a  well 


312  A    Visit  to  Europe 

into  which  St.  Praxedes  and  St.  Pudentiana 
squeezed  the  blood  of  martyrs  wliich  they  had 
gathered  in  sponges.  I  was  then  conducted 
to  the  chapel,  on  the  right  side  of  the  church, 
which  contains  the  portion  of  the  pillar  of 
scourging  preserved  in  Rome.  The  other  por- 
tion I  had  seen  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Appari- 
tion in  Jerusalem.  We  entered  the  crypt 
under  the  high  altar,  where  we  saw  and  rever- 
enced the  tombs  of  the  sister-saints,  Puden- 
tiana and  Praxedes.  \ 

Leaving  the  church,  I  directed  the  driver  to 
convey  me  to  the  church  of  St.  Agnes,  outside 
the  walls,  erected  over  the  tomb  of  the  child 
virgin  and  martyr.  We  passed  through  the 
new  part  of  the  city,  built  up  under  the  pres- 
ent administration.  We  passed  out  of  the 
Porta  Pia,  the  gate  through  which  the  Italian 
troops  first  entered  Rome,  under  the  present 
occupation.  The  ride  into  the  country  was  a 
pleasant  one.  On  either  side  of  the  road— 
the  ancient  Via  Nomentana — were  far-famed 
villas  of  noble  and  princely  Romans,  with  ex- 
tensive grounds  and  cultivated  gardens  sur- 
rounding them.  On  the  left  was  an  unob- 
structed view  of  the  Sabine  Mountains  in  the 
distance.  Although  it  was  a  summer  day,  the 
description  of  the  Nomentan  villa  of  St.  Agues, 


and  tlie  Holy  Land.  313 

and  of  the  scenes  on  the  Nomentafi  Way  on 
the  anniversary  of  the  saint,  as  pictured  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman  in  his  Fabiola,  came  touch- 
ingly  to  my  mind.  I  seemed  to  live  in  the  de- 
parted years,  and  the  glory  and  pride  of  .pagan 
Rome,  and  the  humble  lives  of  Christian  saints 
and  joys  of  Christian  festivals,  in  turn  passed  be- 
fore my  eyes,  and  I  beheld  them  as  they  reached 
the  eternal  gates  of  the  city  of  the  living  God, 
where  the  long,  glittering  procession  of  human 
pride  and  worldly  glory  was  turned  back  in 
confusion,  and  the  chaste  and  radiant  line  of 
Christian  souls  entered  in  triumph  under  the 
white  banner  of  the  "Lamb  that  was  slain." \ 

A  little  more  than  a  mile  from  the  gate  we 
came  to  the  church  of  St.  Agnes.  The  church 
was  closed,  but  a  monk  put  his  head  out  of 
an  upper  window  of  the  adjoining  convent  and 
said  it  would  be  opened  immediately.  We 
passed  through  an  open  court,  and  entered  on 
a  long,  wide  stairway  of  forty-five  marble  steps 
which  descends  to  the  church.  On  either  side 
of  the  staircase  on  the  walls  are  hundreds 
of  primitive  Christian  symbols  and  inscriptions 
taken  from  the  catacombs.  In  this  church, 
on  its  patron  feast,  the  Holy  Father,  or  a  car- 
dinal appointed  for  the  purpose,  blesses  the 
two  lambs  from  the  wool  of  which  the  palliums 


Visit  to  Europe 


are  woven  for  the  archbishops  throughout  the 
world.  Under  the  high  altar  rests  the  body 
of  the  saint.  Here  I  knelt  and  prayed  for  my 
congregation  and  friends  in  my  far-off  home  ; 
for  on  Sunday  more  than  on  other  days  my 
mind  was  usually  inclined  to  wander  home- 
ward. Having  sufficiently  observed  the  various 
parts  of  the  church,  I  started  back  towards 
Rome.  I  had  seen  in  a  side-chapel  a  sweet 
picture  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Agnes, 
painted  by  a  modern  Roman  painter,  and  I  be- 
gan to  feel  a  half-formed  desire  in  my  heart  to 
be  an  artist.  But  as  I  did  not  see  any  strong 
probability  of  ever  becoming  very  successful 
in  that  line,  I  concluded  to  confine  my  desire 
to  words,  and  commenced  to  write  a  poem. 
As  the  road  was  rather  rough,  and  writing  con- 
sequently difficult,  I  finished  only  these  two 
stanzas  ;  the  others  exist  in  the  dim,  misty  fu- 
ture : 

Would  that  I  could  paint  a  picture 

Like  the  one  that  I  saw  there, 
With  a  face  so  sweet  and  holy, 

And  that  wavy,  golden  hair  ; 

And  with  eyes  so  soft  and  tender  — 

Heaven's  blue  is  not  so  mild, 
When  they  look  upon  the  sinner^ 

Or  turn  pleading  to  the  Child.  \ 

The  time  was   drawing  near  when   we  must 


and  the  Holy  Land.  315 


leave  Home.     Many  of  the  rides  and  walks  that 

*  * 

we  took  together  over  the  Pincian  hill  or  to 
other  pleasant  but  not  remarkably  interesting 
localities  I  will  not  take  time  to  describe.  In 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  hotel  nearly  every 
building  of  importance  became  quite  familiar  to 
us — not  alone  the  church  of  the  Minerva,  just 
across  the  street,  but  the  Pantheon,  the  Ro- 
man  College,  the  church  of  St.  Ignatius,  and 
the  church  of  St.  Mary  in  Via  Lata ;  for  we 
passed  these  several  times  each  day.  This  was 
the  region  of  the  Septa  Julia,  founded  by  Cae- 
sar, where  the  votes  of  the  national  assembly 
were  taken,  but  which  was  turned  into  a  market 
in  the  time  of  Tiberius.  The  church  of  St. 
Ignatius,  adjoining  the  Roman  College,  belongs 
to  the  Jesuits,  and  contains  the  body  of  St. 
Aloysius.  In  visiting  the  Roman  churches  it  is 
needless  to  say  that  we  did  not  visit  them  "like 
the  heathen  that  know  not  God."  We  did  not 
kneel  before  all  the  altars,  but  before  the  chapel 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  we  always  knelt  and 
prayed,  and  frequently  before  other  altars  in 
various  chapels,  especially  those  which  contained 
particular  objects  of  devotion.  For  this  reason 
the  churches  of  Rome  did  not  seem  like  strange 
and  unfamiliar  places  to  us,  as  they  must  ap- 
pear to  those  outside  the  household  of  faith.  To 


316  A    Visit  to  Europe 

us  they  appeared  like  home,  the  house  of  our 
Lord  and  Father,  and  a  part  of  our  own  inheri- 
tance. \ 

In  walking  to  the  Corso,  the  principal  street 
of  Rome,  only  a  short  distance  from  the  hotel, 
as  we  turned  on  the  Corso  was  a  church  which 
I  several  times  entered  to  offer  a  brief  prayer. 
On  one  occasion  the  chapter  were  reciting  the 
divine  office.  I  was  always  interested  in  this 
church,  for  in  some  way  it  suited  me,  although 
at  first  I  did  not  even  know  its  name.  I  after- 
wards learned  that  it  is  the  ancient  church  of 
St.  Mary  in  Via  Lata.  The  Via  Lata — which 
was  the  Via  Flaminia  outside  the  city,  and 
one  of  the  chief  streets  of  former  times— very 
nearly  corresponded  with  the  present  Corso. 
This  church  was  first  built  by  Cons tim tine, 
over  the  place  where  St.  Paul  "remained  over 
two  years  in  his  own  hired  lodging";  and  it  is 
believed  that  here  St.  Luke  wrote  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles.  The  present  building  was  erected 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  We  entered  many 
other  churches  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  but  in 
most  cases  their  names  are  forgotten,  and  for  the 
most  part  they  did  not  make  the  same  impression 
on  my  mind  as  those  that  I  have  remembered  ; 
perhaps  in  a  few  instances  because  we  did  not 
know  at  the  time  what  churches  they  were,\ 


and  the  Holy  Land,  3 1  7 

Before  leaving  Rome  I  wished  to  procure 
two  relics  for  my  church,  and  therefore  went 
to  the  vicariate  to  procure  those  only  that  would 
be  properly  authenticated.  I  had  to  go  several 
times  on  account  of  various  delays,  but  finally 
obtained  one  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  of  the 
Holy  House  of  Loretto,  and  another  of  St.  Pat- 
rick, the  patron  of  my  church.  During  these 
errands  I  had  the  privilege  of  visiting  the 
neighboring  church  of  St.  Augustine.  It  con- 
tains the  body  of  St.  Monica,  mother  of  St. 
Augustine,  a  picture  of  the  Madonna  attributed 
to  St.  Luke,  a  miraculous  statue  of  the  divine 
Mother  and  Child,  and  many  rare  works  of  art. 
Among  the  last  mentioned  is  a  fresco  of  the 
prophet  Isaias,  by  Raphael,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  influenced  in  its  production  by  a  desire 
to  excel  the  "Prophets,"  by  Michael  Angelo, 
in  the  Sistine  Chapel.\ 

We  had  arranged  to  leave  Rome  on  Wednes- 
day morning,  but  before  leaving  a  few  obser- 
vations may  not  be  out  of  place.  The  traveller 
from  America,  after  passing  through  several 
countries  of  Europe  having  large  standing 
armies,  might  not  be  surprised  at  the  number 
of  soldiers  he  would  meet  on  the  streets  of 
Rome,  for  the  agents  of  war  would  have  be- 
come familiar  sights ;  but  to  see  so  many 


318  A    Visit  to  Europe 

priests,  the  messengers  of  peace,  would  be  to 
him  a  new  revelation,  which,  unless  he  were 
a  Catholic,  he  might  not  quite  understand. 
Priests  are  frequently  met  all  over  Italy,  and 
in  Rome  you  might  meet  one  on  almost  every 
block,  and  sometimes  in  that  distance,  at  cer- 
tain hours  of  the  day,  a  dozen  or  more.  But 
Rome  is  the  religious  capital  of  the  world.  I 
was  somewhat  interested  in  observing  the  nu- 
merous clergy  of  the  various  cities  and  districts 
of  Italy,  because  I  had  seen  them  so  differently 
described  by  different  writers.  I  can  remem- 
ber to  have  read  only  one  Protestant  author 
who  has  given  them  anything  like  justice.  So 
far  as  good,  priest-like  appearances  go,  I  have 
seen  no  other  priesthood  in  the  world  who 
surpass  them  ;  nor  have  I  seen  any  other  class 
of  men  anywhere  who  even  approach  them. 
There  is  a  look  on  their  faces  indicative  of 
habitual  moderation,  abstemiousness,  and  vir- 
tue in  their  lives.  Notwithstanding  the  slanders 
that  I  had  read  against  them  by  non-Catholic 
authors,  I  had  expected  to  meet  a  good  priest- 
hood, but  they  so  far  surpassed  my  expectations 
that  I  am  ready  to  declare  them  to  be  at  least 
equal  to  any  body  of  clergy,  and  to  excel — as  a 
class — the  men  of  any  other  profession  or  vo- 
cation in  any  country.  I  also  made  observation 


and  the  Holy  Land.  319 

as  to  the  temperate  Labits  of  the  people.  Nearly 
every  one  drinks  wine,  but  I  could  hardly  say- 
judging  from  my  experience — that  it  is  ever 
used  to  excess.  Daring  our  sojourn  of  a  month 
in  Italy,  travelling  a  good  portion  of  the  time, 
and  frequently  on  the  streets,  I  did  not  see 
one  person  drunk  or  laboring  under  the  influence 
of  drink.  I  believe  that  Catholic  total-absti- 
nence societies  are  beneficial  in  some  countries, 
but  not  until  the  tastes  of  the  people  have 
become  vitiated  and  their  drinking  customs  un- 
catholic. 

Another  fact — to  which  I  will  merely  allude, 
but  which  I  will  not  explain — was  noted  by  us 
which  would  indicate  that,  notwithstanding  the 
corrupting  influence  of  the  present  government, 
Rome  is  still  the  most  moral  large  city  in  the 
world.  Verily  the  influence  of  the  Papacy  has 
made  a  lasting  impression  on  the  Roman  people. 

As  our  time  was  quickly  passing  we  con- 
cluded that  we  must  miss  either  Florence  or 
Loretto.  It  did  not  take  us  long  to  decide  that 
to  us  Loretto  was  more  attractive,  although 
we  very  much  disliked  to  leave  out  from  our 
route  beautiful  Florence.  \ 


320  A    Visit  to  Europe 

CHAPTER  XXYI. 

FROM    ROME   TO    LORETTO. 

ON  Wednesday  morning,  the  16th  of  July, 
we  were  leaving  the  walls  of  Rome  behind  us, 
as  our  railway  train  moved  smoothly  over  the 
road  towards  Ancona.  This  road  runs  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  passing  through  the 
Umbrian  Apennines  of  Central  Italy,  to  the 
Adriatic  coast,  184  miles  distant,  and  continuous 
in  the  pontifical  territory.  For  about  fifty  miles 
we  rode  through  the  wooded  valley  of  old  Tiber, 
the  river  being  in  sight — sometimes  near  at 
hand — during  a  good  portion  of  the  distance. 
For  some  time  the  railroad  follows  the  direction 
of  the  ancient  Via  Salara,  passing  in  sight  of 
picturesque  villages  and  towns,  among  them 
the  old  Sabine  town  Cures — the  modern  Cor- 
rese— which  was  the  birthplace  of  Numa  Pompil- 
ius.  To  the  left  rose  Mount  Soracte,  spoken  of 
by  Horace  and  Virgil.  \ 

Leaving  the  valley  of  the  Tiber,  we  turned 
into  the  beautiful  and  fertile  valley  of  the  Nera, 
with  its  fine  plantations  of  evergreen  oaks.  Dur- 
ing the  day  we  passed  through  many  old  cities, 
founded  by  Roman  colonists  before  the  Chris 


and  the  Holy  Land.  321 

tian  era,  and  noted  as  the  birthplaces  of  many 
remarkable  men,  among  others  a  number  of 
pagan  emperors  and  Christian  pontiffs.  Among 
these  ancient  towns  was  Spoleto.  "the  Roman 
Spoletium,  founded  more  than  twenty-one 
centuries  ago,  and  which  within  twenty-five 
years  of  its  foundation  courageously  repulsed 
an  attack  by  Hannibal.  It  was  a  Christian 
see  as  early  as  50  A.D.  Soon  afterwards  we 
passed  through  the  charming  vale  of  the  Cli- 
tumnus,  whose  rich  pastures  and  shady  groves 
upon  the  sunny  banks  of  the  little  river,  and 
its  temple  of  Jupiter,  are  described  by  Pliny  ;* 
and  whose  snow-white  herds  of  cattle  are  cele- 
brated by  Virgil,  which  with  gilded  horns  and 
wreaths  of  flowers  were  adorned  for  sacrifice. 
Until  this  ride  I  had  never  looked  upon  the 
truly  picturesque  and  attractive  rural  scenes  of 
Italy./ 

I  could  trace  with  the  eye  the  white,  smooth 
road  down  the  side  of  the  hill,  between  stone 
walls  and  overhanging  trees  that  enclosed  the 
wayside  vineyards,  into  some  cozy  little  vale, 
and  then  up  again,  winding  around  the  mountain 
side,  descending  into  a  more  extended  valley, 
over  the  gray  arches  of  some  old  stone  bridge, 
until  it  was  lost  sight  of  amidst  the  ancient 
streets  of  some  venerable  city  whose  buildings 


322  A    Visit  to  Europe 

were  already  old  centuries  ago.  The  number  of 
pleasant  valleys  in  the  Apennines  seem  count- 
less. If  a  life  on  earth  could  anywhere  be 
enjoyable  it  should  be  among  a  simple  and 
pious  peasantry,  surrounded  by  all  the  charms 
of  nature.  These  scenes  of  interior  Italy  only 
wanted  a  glimpse  of  the  far-off  blue  sea,  with 
its  white,  spreading  sails,  to  make  them  perfect. 
We  passed  world- renowned  Assisi  on  our  left, 
but  had  not  time  to  visit  that  celebrated 
sanctuary  of  St.  Francis.  About  two  hours 
before  sundown  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
glistening  waters  of  the  Adriatic,  and  not  long 
afterward  we  entered  Ancona./ 

Ancona  was  founded  by  the  Doric  Greeks 
from  Syracuse  about  four  centuries  before 
Christ,  and  is  built  on  the  slope  of  two  hills, 
rising  from  the  sea  in  the  form  of  an  amphithea- 
tre. It  contains  a  triumphal  arch  to  Trajan,  and 
several  old  churches,  among  them  the  cathedral, 
dedicated  to  St.  Cyriacus,  whose  tomb  it  possess- 
es, and  built  over  a  temple  of  Venus,  mentioned 
by  Juvenal,  from  which  it  has  retained  ten  pil- 
lars. We  entered  only  one  church  in  Ancona, 
but  as  to  the  rest  of  the  city  and  its  churches 
we  concluded  to  be  satisfied  with  an  inspection 
from  the  outside.  So  we  took  a  carriage  and 
directed  the  driver  to  drive  through  the  prin- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  323 

cipal  parts  of  the  city.  On  our  way  from  the 
station  we  were  stopped  at  the  city  gates  by 
soldiers  on  guard,  who  demanded  our  passports. 
They  were  afraid  that  we  might  have  come  from 
some  cholera-infected  district.  We  had  already 
been  fumigated  at  the  station.  It  is  doubtful 
if  one  of  us-  had  his  passport  with  him.  as  we 
never  expected  to  be  asked  for  them.  But  one 
of  my  friends,  whose  wits  come  to  him  quickest 
in  an  emergency,  very  coolly  drew  forth  from 
his  pocket  a  paper  such  as  each  of  us  had 
received  from  the  Guardian  of  the  Holy  Land, 
stating  that  we  had  made  the  pilgrimage,  and 
signed  and  sealed  in  Jerusalem.  He  pointed  to 
the  word  Jerusalem,  and  said,  Jerusalem  ;  they 
repeated,  Jerusalem,  and  said  in  the  Italian 
equivalent:  "  All  right;  pass  on."  So  far  as 
most  parts  of  Europe  are  concerned,  a  mortgage 
on  one's  house  would  answer  all  the  purposes 
of  a  passport ;  and  a  policy  from  some  of  the 
fire-insurance  companies  would  prove  a  flaming 
document  that  would  insure  the  bearer  every 
needed  politeness  and  protection.  / 

We  returned  to  the  station  in  seasonable 
time  to  take  the  train  for  Loretto,  only  fifteen 
miles  distant  towards  the  south.  The  munici- 
pal council,  or  something  of  the  kind,  from 
some  other  city,  had  been  visiting  a  similar 


324  A    Visit  to  Europe 

body  in  Ancona.  After  a  grand  supper  and 
the  usual  number  of  speeches,  they  were  ac- 
companied to  the  station  by  brass  bands  and 
silken  banners,  and  the  customary  noise  and 
ostentation.  / 

In  less  than  an  hour  we  were  in  Loretto. 
We  took  an  omnibus,  which  slowly  climbed 
the  hill  on  which  the  town  is  situated.  We 
found  a  fairly  good  hotel,  where  having  ob- 
tained rooms  we  immediately  retired  to  rest, 
in  order  to  rise  early  the  next  morning  to  say 
Mass  in  the  Holy  House.  The  next  morning 
we  were  directed  to  the  church,  and  soon  found 
ourselves  within  the  holy  sanctuary  which  has 
made  the  name  of  Loretto  familiar  to  the  ears 
of  the  Christian  world.  Loretto  is  a  small 
town,  containing  perhaps  six  thousand  inhabit- 
ants. Along  the  street  leading  to  the  church 
are  numerous  venders  of  articles  of  devotion, 
and  Loretto  is  also  noted  for  the  importu- 
nities of  its  beggars,  who  naturally  collect 
here  from  different  parts  of  Italy.  At  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  when  we  were  there  they  did 
not,  however,  prove  to  be  very  annoying.  Having 
offered  thanksgiving  to  God  for  His  great  kind- 
ness in  permitting  us  to  approach  the  sacred 
threshold  of  His  house  on  earth,  we  went  to 
the  sacristy,  where  we  obtained  permission  to 


and  the  Holy  Land.  325 

offer  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  at  th$  altar  within 
its  sacred  walls,  which  contains  the  altar  which 
came  with  the  Holy  House  from  Nazareth. 
My  Mass  was  to  come  immediately  after  a 
High  Mass  celebrated — if  I  remember  rightly— 
by  a  bishop.  The  chief  sacristan  was  a  Fran- 
ciscan father  whom  I  afterwards  saw  saying 
Mass  at  an  altar  immediately  outside  the  Holy 
House,  called  the  altar  of  the  Annunciation. 
He  asked  me  if  there  were  any  members  of 
his  order  in  my  part  of  America.  I  informed 
him  about  the  matter,  and  also  told  him  that 
a  Capuchin  father  had  charge  of  my  congre- 
gation during  my  absence.  While  waiting  for 
my  turn  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  look 
about  me.  not  with  the  mere  sense  of  curi- 
osity, but  with  the  more  observant  insight  of 
faith  and  devotion./ 

The  basilica  erected  over  the  Holy  House  is 
a  magnificent  structure,  on  which  many  emi- 
nent artists  have  been  employed.  The  Holy 
House  itself  has  been  covered  with  marble, 
and  adorned  with  reliefs  and  statues  chiselled 
by  the  hands  of  eminent  sculptors.  The  Holy 
House  is  constructed  of  a  dark,  reddish  stone, 
proven  by  chemical  analysis  to  be  identical 
in  chemical  composition  with  the  stone  of 
Nazareth.  It  is  about  31  feet  4  inches  in 


326  A    Visit  to  Europe 

length,  13  feet  4  inches  in  breadth,  and — as 
well  as  I  can  judge — about  18  feet  high,  al- 
though I  find  that  writers  place  its  height  all 
the  way  from  13^  to  28  feet.  It  has  every 
mark  of  a  former  dwelling-house  changed  into 
a  church,  such  as  we  know  the  Holy  House 
of  Nazareth  to  have  been  from  the  very  time 
that  it  was  last  occupied  by  the  Holy  Family. 
A  thorough  investigation  of  the  facts  and 
miracles  connected  with  its  history,  and  finally 
the  authority  of  the  Church,  leave  no  doubt 
that  this  House  of  Loretto  is  identical  with 
the  House  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  Nazareth, 
from  which  place  it  was  translated  nearly  six 
hundred  years  ago.  / 

I  cannot  do  better,  in  relating  the  story 
of  its  miraculous  translation,  than  to  tran- 
scribe a  portion  of  the  Bull  of  Pius  IX., 
which  repeats  the  substance  of  what  many  pon- 
tiffs before  him  had  written  with  reference  to 
this  fact:  ':  Among  all  the  temples  consecrat- 
ed to  the  Immaculate  Mother  of  God,  there 
is  one  which  holds  first  rank.  The  most  holy 
and  august  House  of  Loretto,  consecrated  by 
divine  mysteries,  ennobled  by  countless  miracles, 
honored  by  multitudes  of  pious  pilgrims,  fills 
the  whole  Catholic  universe  with  the  glory  of 
its  title,  and  is  the  object  of  the  devotion  and 


and  the  Holy  Land.  327 

veneration  of  all  nations  and  races .  of  mankind. 
It  is  at  Loretto,  this  Holy  House  of  Nazareth, 
cherished  by  the  Eternal  Father  on  account 
of  the  numerous  circumstances  and  mysteries 
connected  with  it ;  first  built  in  Galilee,  then 
raised  from  its  foundation  by  divine  power, 
and  transported  by  angels  beyond  the  sea,  first 
to  Dalrnatia,  then  to  Italy.  Huppy  and  sacred 
House  !  where  the  Blessed  Virgin,  predestined 
from  all  eternity  and  exempt  from  the  stain 
of  original  sin,  was  conceived  and  brought  up ; 
where  the  Angel  Gabriel  saluted  her  as  blessed 
among  women  ;  where,  filled  with  the  grace  of 
God,  and  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
without  being  deprived  of  her  spotless  virgin- 
ity, she  became  the  Mother  of  the  only  Son 
of  God."  In  Nuzareth  I  had  already  said 
Mass  over  the  spot  where  the  Annunciation 
took  place,  and  now  I  was  about  to  enjoy  the 
same  privilege  within  the  walls  where  the 
great  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  was  accom- 
plished. / 

I  could  not  realize  it ;  the  very  fact  seemed  to 
partake  of  the  miraculous  ;  and  the  holy  myste- 
ries of  the  Incarnation  seemed  to  envelop  me 
as  in  an  atmosphere  not  of  this  world.  One 
could  afford  to  journey  through  strange  lands, 
over  rough  and  dangerous  mountain  roads  to 


328  A    Visit  to  Eitrope 

the  extreme  ends  of  the  earth,  in  hunger  and 
thirst,  in  heat  and  cold,  until  the  iinal  day  of 
his  life,  if,  on  the  last  morning  of  that  day 
whose  setting  sun  should  never  rise  again,  he 
would  be  permitted  to  offer  up  the  Holy  Sac- 
rifice in  the  House  of  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph. 
After  Mass,  and  thanksgiving  by  attending  the 
Mass  of  the  venerable  priest  whom  I  had  met  in 
the  sacristy,  I  started  to  return  to  our  hotel 
On  the  way  back  I  bought  some  rosaries,  and 
then  walked  slowly  along  until  I  came  upon 
one  of  the  finest  views  that  I  had  ever  enjoy- 
ed. Loretto  is  situated  in  the  province  of  An- 
cona — the  ancient  Picenum — which  is  one  of 
the  most  fertile  and  picturesque  regions  of 
Italy.  Some  of  its  most  characteristic  features 
could  now  be  seen  from  where  I  stood,  far 
below  me  on  all  sides,  lying  under  the  rich, 
bright  glow  of  the  summer  sun  To  the  west 
the  Central  Apennines  rise  to  their  highest 
elevation,  and  between  them  and  the  eminence 
on  which  I  was  standing  reposed  the  smiling 
fields  and  pleasant  valleys  of  the  Marches  of 
Italy.  To  the  east,  about  three  miles  distant, 
the  Adriatic  sparkled  in  the  sunlight.  Al- 
though standing,  as  I  was,  under  the  oppressive 
heat  of  July,  I  remained  for  some  time  be- 
holding this  fair  and  tranquil  scene. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  329 


During  the  forenoon  we  made  one  more 
visit  to  the  Holy  House,  at  a  time  when  no 
others  but  ourselves  within  its  walls  whispered 
prayers  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  and 
the  Sweet  Heart  of  Mary./ 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

BOLOGNA,    PADUA,    AND   VENICE. 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  took 
the  train  for  Bologna,  by  way  of  Ancona. 
During  the  late  afternoon  and  early  evening 
we  passed  through  the  "Five  Maritime  Cities," 
Ancona,  Sinigaglia — the  birthplace  of  Pius 
IX. — Fano,  Pesano,  and  Rimini,  all  of  which 
were  founded  before  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era.  Rimini,  the  northernmost  of 
these  cities,  was  the  end  of  the  ancient  Flamin-. 
ian  Way,  which  here  united  with  the  /Emilian. 
As  the  shadows  of  evening  lengthened  over 
sea  and  land,  and  enveloped  the  whole  earth, 
perhaps  those  last  rays  of  light,  strag- 
gling through  the  western  mountains  or  dimly 
gilding  the  very  tips  of  the  topmost  peaks, 
revealed  to  us  the  indistinct  outlines  of  the 


330  A    Visit  to  Europe 

liberty-loving  little  republic  of  San  Marino, 
which  was  founded  in  those  mountains  a 
thousand  and  five  hundred  years  ago  by  St. 
Marinus,  and  ever  since  has  preserved  its 
form  of  government  arid  independence.  It 
was  only  a  few  miles  distant,  but  it  would 
hardly  be  possible  that  we  could  distinguish 
it  from  the  surrounding  territory.  We  soon 
afterwards  passed  over  the  Rubicon  of  Csesar. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  arrived  in  Bologna, 
and  not  long  after,  in  our  rooms  in  the  hotel 
Brim,  we  had  forgotten  the  events  of  the  day  ; 
and,  as  often  elsewhere  when  we  awakened  in 
the  morning,  we  wondered  where  we  were, 
for  the  room  had  a  foreign  look,  unlike  the 
one  at  home.  As  we  were  to  take  the  train 
for  Venice  about  noon,  we  started  early  to  see 
the  city.  We  directed  the  driver  to  convey 
us  first  to  the  church  wilh  which  the  con- 
vent of  Poor  Clares  is  connected ;  for  it  had 
been  the  chief  motive  of  our  visit  to  Bologna 
to  see  and  pay  reverence  to  the  body  of  St. 
Catharine  of  Bologna.  / 

Bologna  is  a  walled  city  containing  a  popu- 
lation of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand. 
About  two  centuries  before  the  Christian  era 
it  became  a  Roman  colony,  but  was  already 
an  old  city,  having  been  founded  by  the  Celts 


and  the  Holy  Land.  331 

about  the  fifth  century  before  Christ.  It  con- 
tains about  one  hundred  and  thirty  churches, 
some  of  which  are  quite  remarkable  for  size, 
ornamentation,  and  antiquity.  As  we  rode 
through  the  streets  our  attention  was  attracted 
to  the  wide  and  extensive  covered  porticos  or 
arcades,  in  front  of  the  buildings  and  over 
the  sidewalks,  protecting  the  foot-passengers 
from  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  and  the  incle- 
mency of  the  elements.  They  were  something 
new  to  us.  which  we  had  not  seen  elsewhere./ 

Arriving  at  the  church,  we  entered,  and, 
having  met  a  priest,  we  told  him  the  object 
of  our  visit.  He  was  very  kind  in  his  man- 
ner, and  rang  a  bell  as  a  signal  for  the  nuns 
to  unlock  a  door  leading  into  an  adjoining 
room.  This  they  did,  but  immediately  retired. 
We  passed  through  this  room  into  another 
which  contains  the  body  of  St.  Catharine, 
who  has  been  dead  more  than  four  hundred 
years,  having  died  in  the  year  1463.  St.  Catha- 
rine is  sitting  in  a  chair,  and  the  nuns  have 
decorated  her  person  with  many  ornaments  of 
gold  and  precious  jewels ;  but  her  face  and 
hands  are  without  covering.  They  have 
changed  to  a  black  color,  except  a  spot  on 
and  near  one  of  her  lips,  which  is  of  a  lighter 
hue,  where  it  is  related  that  on  the  holy  fes- 


332  A    Visit  to  Europe 


tival  of  Christmas  the  Infant  Jesus  kissed  her. 
After  the  death  of  St.  Catharine,  when  it  was 
found  that  her  body  had  remained  incorrupt,  a 
chair  was  prepared  for  her,  and,  knowing  that 
in  life  she  had  always  been  obedient,  she  was 
commanded  to  seat  herself  in  it,  which  com- 
mand she  promptly  obeyed.  We  knelt  before 
her  and  prayed,  requesting  her  to  intercede 
for  us  with  God.  The  father  who  accompanied 
us  asked  if  we  were  priests,  and,  being  told 
that  we  were,  said  that  we  might  kiss  her  hand, 
which  we  did.  Although  black,  it  was  as 
soft  as  my  own  living  hand.  We  retired  with 
praise  in  our  hearts  to  God  for  His  saints, 
for  "God  is  wonderful  in  His  saints";  and 
thanking  Him  that  we  "are  fellow-citizens  with 
the  saints"  and  "partakers  of  the  lot  of  the 
saints  in  light.'"'/ 

Although  we  had  become  so  accustomed  to 
fine  churches  that  it  was  difficult,  at  least  in 
Italy,  to  find  something  new,  several  of  the 
churches  of  Bologna  occupied  our  well-re- 
warded attention  during  visits  as  long  as  our 
time  permitted.  The  church  dedicated  to  St. 
Petronio— who  was  bishop  of  the  city  in  the 
fifth  century,  and  is  honored  as  its  patron- 
is  385  feet  long  and  156  feet  in  breadth;  al- 
though according  to  its  original  plan  it  was  to 


and  the  Holy  Land.  333 

have  been  750  feet  in  length.  The  church  of 
St.  Dominic  is  also  a  grand  edifice,  and  con- 
tains the  tomb  of  St.  Dominic,  who  died  in 
Bologna.  Among  the  other  churches  which 
we  visited,  the  oldest  foundation  was  evidently 
that  of  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Peter, 
founded  by  St.  Zama  in  the  third  century. 
The  church  of  St.  Stefano— or  the  "Seven 
Churches"— over  the  site  of  a  former  temple 
of  Isis,  was  founded  in  the  fifth  century  by 
St.  Petronius.  Several  other  churches  were 
founded  by  the  same  saint. 

The  university  is  perhaps  the  oldest  in  Italy, 
claimed  by  many  to  have  been  founded  in 
the  fifth  century,  and  which  in  the  middle 
ages  often  counted  10,OOJ  students.  It  still 
continues  to  exist,  but  with  enfeebled  faculties 
and  in  a  diminutive  form.  Bologna  also  possesses 
two  leaning  towers,  one  of  which  is  only  163 
feet  in  height,  and  is  ten  feet  out  of  the 
perpendicular.  Among  the  minor  things  for 
which  the  city  is  famous  are  its  poodle-dogs, 
sausages,  and  modern  radical  opinions.  We 
returned  to  our  hotel,  and  from  there  went 
directly  to  the  station,  where  we  soon  en- 
tered the  train  for  Venice.  / 

Our  route  led  for  the  most  part  through  a  level, 
fertile,  and  well-cultivated  country.  Between 


334  d    Visit  to  Europe 


Ferrara  and  Rovigo  we  crossed  the  Po,  and  for 
some  miles  the  railway  extends  along  its  banks. 
To  us  the  most  interesting  city  on  the  line  was 
Padua,  through  which  we  twice  journeyed,  but 
only  saw  it  as  it  is  seen  from  the  train.  Its 
numerous  high  steeples  and  lofty  domes  were 
quite  in  contrast,  and  to  me  a  pleasing  one,  with 
nearly  all  the  towns  of  more  southern  Italy. 
Padua  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  of  Italy,  and  is 
believed  to  have  been  founded  by  the  Trojan 
prince  An  tenor  after  the  destruction  of  Troy, 
more  than  three  thousand  years  ago.  It  was  an 
important  town  long  before  it  passed  under 
Roman  power,  arid  after  that  event  it  was,  in  the 
time  of  Augustus,  the  wealthiest  city  in  northern 
Italy.  It  claims  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the 
historian  Livy  ;  he  certainly  was  born  in  its 
vicinity.  But  during  the  whole  time  that  my 
eyes  rested  on  that  attractive  Italian  town—- 
and it  makes  a  fine  appearance  from  the  railway 
— my  mind  seemed  to  dwell  only  on  one  person- 
age connected  with  it,  one  whose  name  and  spirit 
have  rendered  it  illustrious,  and  whose  ashes 
rest  within  the  precincts  of  one  of  its  grandest 
churches — St.  Anthony  of  Padua.  He  was  a 
native  of  Lisbon,  in  Portugal,  but  he  so  long 
resided  in  this  city  that  its  name  is  added  to  his 
as  a  distinctive  title./ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  335 

In  about  half  an  hour  after  leaving  Padua  the 
towers  and  domes  of  Venice  rose  in  the  distance 
against  a  blue  horizon  of '  sky  and  water  ;  and  in 
a  short  time  we  were  passing  over  the  waters  of 
the  lagoon  in  which  Venice  is  situated,  on  a 
bridge  more  than  two  miles  in  length,  and  rest- 
ing on  222  arches.  A  lagoon  is  a  shallow  lake 
formed  by  the  sea,  of  which,  strictly  speaking, 
it  is  a  part.  The  lagoon  in  which  Venice  is  built 
is  about  nine  miles  in  width  and  twenty-five 
miles  in  length,  and  is  protected  from  the  fury 
of  the  sea  by  islands  of  sand,  which  have  been 
strengthened  by  solid  and  expensive  bulwarks. 
Venice  is  built  on  three  large  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  small  islands,  but  the  land  is 
entirely  covered  by  buildings,  piazzas,  and  streets 
—mostly  narrow  and  next  to  some  of  the  canals. 

The  " streets"  are  usually  canals,  or,  correctly 
speaking,  the  shallow  waters  of  the  Adriatic. 
We  did  not  stay  long  enough  in  Venice  to  find 
out  the  duties  of  their  street  commissioners,  or  to 
understand  thoroughly  their  system  of  water- 
works. We  learned,  however,  that  the  drinking- 
water  was  not  good,  and  that  a  new  system  of 
supply  was  soon  to  be  introduced.  On  our  ar- 
rival at  the  station  gondolas  were  in  waiting  to 
convey  passengers  to  the  different  hotels  or  to 
any  part  of  the  city.  Every  reader  has  seen  pic- 


336  A    Visit  to  Europe 


tares  of  these  peculiar  boats,  and  is  therefore 
practically  familiar  with  them.  In  all  they 
number  about  four  thousand  within  the  limits  of 
the  city  corporation.  We  entered  one  to  convey 
us  to  the  hotel  Angleterre,  on  the  Riva  dcgli 
Schiavoni,  a  broad  quay  fronting  one  of  the 
widest  canals  of  the  city,  where  a  number  of 
large  vessels  were  always  lying  at  anchor.  It 
was  only  a  short  distance  from  tlie  piazza  of 
St.  Mark,  which  is  the  centre  of  life  and  attrac- 
tion in  Venice.  We  arrived  sufficiently  early  in 
the  day  to  hire  a  gondola  to  carry  us  wher- 
ever the  gondoliers  fancied  might  please  us.  It 
was  a  pleasant,  dreamy  ride,  full  of  romantic 
suggestions.  Samuel  Rogers  well  d<*smb<*s  in 
oft-quoted  lines  the  impressions  of  the  travel  ]»-r 
as  he  approaches  and  enters  the  city,  or  soon 
afterwards,  in  swan-shaped  boat,  glides  through 
its  silent  streets : 

"There  is  a  glorious  City  in  the  Sea. 
The  sea  is  in  the  broad,  the  narrow  streets, 
Ebbing  and  flowing  ;  and  the  salt  sea-weed 
Clings  to  the  marble  of  her  pal 
No  track  of  men,  no  footsteps  to  and  fro, 
Lead  to  her  gates.     The  path  JiVs  o'er  the  sea, 
Invisible;  and  from  tin-  hind  \ve  went. 
As  to  a  floating  city— steering  in, 
And  gliding  up  her  streets  as  in  a  dream, 
A-  -nioothly.  silently,  by  many  a  dome 


and  the  Holy  Land.  337 

Mosque-like,  and  many  a  stately  portipo, 

The  stat  ues  ranged  along  an  azure  sky  ; 

By  many  a  pile  in  more  than  Eastern  splendor, 

Of  old  the  residence  of  merchant  kings  ; 

The  fronts  of  some,  though  Time  had  shattered  them, 

Still  glowing  with  the  richest  hues  of  art, 

As  though  the  wealth  within  them  had  run  o'er."/ 

Our  gondoliers  first  rowed  to  some  islands 
opposite,  where  we  entered  different  churches, 
among  them  S.  Giorgio  Maggiore  and  S.  Maria 
della  Salute.  Connected  with  the  latter  is  the 
Patriarchal  Seminary.  This  church  contains 
some  of  the  masterpieces  of  Titian,  who  rep- 
resents the  highest  excellence  of  Venetian  art, 
which  is  quite  distinct  from  that  of  the  rest  of 
Italy,  and  partakes  liberally  of  Oriental  richness. 
Our  gondoliers  next  directed  their  boats  through 
the  Grand  Canal,  the  entire  length  of  which  we 
had  already  seen  on  our  way  from  the  station, 
each  time  passing  under  the  famous  bridge  of  the 
Rialto.  On  either  side  of  the  canal  rose  the 
stately  palaces  of  ancient  Venice,  for  this  is  the 
aristocratic  street  of  the  city.  They  then  turned 
into  narrower  ways,  where  we  could  see  the  dif- 
ferent classes  of  people,  and  to  a  certain  extent 
their  modes  of  life.  / 

Everywhere  we  saw  people  swimming  in  the 
streets,  jumping  into  the  water  from  their 
doorsteps.  It  occurred  to  me  that  in  Venice  a 


Visit  to  Europe 


child  should  be  taught  to  swim  before  it  learns 
to  walk  or  even  to  creep  ;  for  otherwise  if  it 
should  manage  to  get  out  of  any  door  of  the 
house  it  would  probably  fall  into  the  water  and 
be  drowned.  I  saw  mothers  teaching  their  in- 
fants to  swim  who  could  be  scarcely  two  years 
of  age.  When  they  put  them  into  the  water 
they  held  them  up  by  a  rope,  and  the  quick- 
ness with  which  they  would  learn  the  art  of 
swimming  might  readily  be  to  them  a  matter 
of  life  or  death.  Our  boatmen  brought  us 
finally  under  the  Bridge  of  Sighs,  and  soon  after- 
wards landed  us  at  the  hotel.  On  the  following 
days  we  often  saw  this  celebrated  bridge,  as  it 
was  between  our  hotel  and  the  piazza  of  St.  Mark. 
It  connects  the  palace  of  the  Doges  with  the 
prison  where  criminals  were  executed,  and  when 
under  sentence  of  death  they  went  from  the 
judgment-hall  to  their  prison,  they  never  re- 
turned ;  hence  the  name  of  the  bridge  over  which 
they  passed.  / 

During  the  next  day  we  spent  most  of  our 
time  in  the  church  and  around  the  square  of 
St.  Mark.  To  a  traveller  there  are  many  attrac- 
tive resorts  in  that  vicinity.  The  piazzetta 
through  which  we  had  to  pass  on  our  way  to 
the  piazza  and  church  is  a  pleasant  place,  where 
one  can  sit  and  enjoy  the  cool  breezes  from 


and  the  Holy  Land.  339 

the  water,  with  a  good  view  of  the  lagoon  and 
shipping  ;  and  several  times  we  tooTi  advantage 
of  the  favorable  situation,  but  not  so  often  as 
we  would  have  done  had  not  our  own  rooms 
in  the  hotel  commanded  a  finer  view  of  the 
same  scene.  Next  to  the  piazzetta  on  the. one 
side,  and  the  mole  on  the  other,  is  the  an- 
cient and  magnificent  palace  of  the  Doges. 
It  is  about  240  feet  square.  On  two  sides  are 
double  colonnades,  one  above  the  other,  having 
107  columns,  whose  capitals,  mouldings,  and 
traceries  are  rich  in  artistic  designs  executed 
in  stone.  This  palace  was  founded  in  the  year 
800,  but  has  been  destroyed  at  different  times, 
and  each  time  rebuilt,  until  the  present  struc- 
ture, which  has  been  in  existence  about  five 
centuries.  It  was,  in  one  form  or  another,  the 
palace  of  the  republican  doges  for 'more  than  a 
thousand  years  ;  for  Venice  was  a  republic  from 
the  eighth  century  until  its  overthrow  by  Na- 
poleon. If  the  republic  of  the  United  Slates 
of  North  America,  or  any  other  republic,  had 
subsisted  eleven  centuries  on  the  principles  of 
mere  secularism,  or  secularism  mingled  with  some 
Christian  principles,  there  might  be  a  question 
as  to  whether  secularism  or  the  Catholic  relig- 
ion is  more  favorable  to  republican  institutions. 
As  the  facts  now  stand,  only  republics  founded 


34-O  A    Visit  to  Europe 

on  Catholic  principles  have  on  their  side  proofs 
from  history.  But  had  the  republic  of  the  United 
States  existed  for  a  thousand  years,  it  would 
not  be  by  any  means  a  test  of  the  principle 
of  mere  secularism  in  government,  for  her  most 
important  laws  and  articles  of  constitution 
are  founded  on  the  common  law  of  Catholic 
times  and  on  the  principles  of  Magna  Charta, 
which  was  simply  the  laws  and  customs  for 
which  the  people  of  England  always  clamored  ; 
for  their  fathers  had  experienced  their  justice 
and  protection  under  "good  King  Edward" 
the  Confessor,  their  author  and  a  canonized 
saint  of  the  Catholic  Church.  It  is  not  alone 
to  republics  that  the  principles  of  the  Church 
are  favorable,  but  they  are  the  foundation  and 
bulwark  of  every  form  of  legitimate  govern- 
ment. / 

Although  for  the  present  time  the  cry  of 
Italian  unity  has  captured  the  crowd — a  cry 
which  in  some  sense  is  an  echo  of  Roman 
paganism  and  the  apostasy  of  Julian,  and  a 
unity  which  has  been  acquired  by  tyranny 
and  fraud— the  grand  genius  of  the  Italian  peo- 
ple will  yet  re-assert  itself,  and,  under  the  fos- 
tering influence  of  Christian  pontiffs,  great  Ital- 
ian republics  and  freedom-loving  kingdoms  may 
again  arise,  and,  with  a  milder  spirit  and  more 


and  the  Holy  Land.  341 


glorious  destiny  than  the  enterprising,  giant 
republics  of  the  middle  ages,  will  outshine 
with  beneficent  rays  upon  the  earth,  and  out- 
rival in  Christ-like  deeds  among  men,  any  of 
their  predecessors  in  the  past.  The  enemies  of 
Catholic  Italy  have  tried  to  make  little  of  the 
Italian  name,  and  have  slandered  the  Italian 
character.  But  Italy  has  furnished  too  many 
illustrious  pontiffs  and  scholars,  statesmen  and 
literary  men,  painters  and  musicians,  sculptors 
and  architects,  and  men  great  in  every  voca- 
tion of  life  where  genius  and  the  more  gener- 
ous endowments  of  nature  are  required,  to  per- 
mit mal-conceived  and  low-born  opinions  to  in- 
fluence the  judgment  of  fair-minded  and  intel- 
ligent men.  / 

In  the  year  828  the  body  of  St.  Mark  the 
Evangelist  was  brought  from  Alexandria— of 
which  city  he  had  been  the  first  bishop — and 
the  adjoining  church,  dedicated  to  his  name, 
was  built  to  receive  it,  where  it  now  rests  un- 
der the  principal  altar.  It  is  believed  by  many 
— and  the  great  veneration  in  which  he  has 
always  been  held  by  the  Venetians  would  seem 
to  add  strength  to  the  claim — that  St.  Mark 
established  the  see  of  Aquileia,  a  town  about 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  northeast  of  Venice,  and 
once  a  very  important  metropolis,  from  which 


34 2  A    Visit  to  Europe 

—their  city  having  been  destroyed  by  Attila 
in  the  year  452— the  inhabitants  fled  to  the  la- 
goons of  Venice,  and  became  the  founders  of 
the  city.  The  lion  was  the  emblem  of  the 
evangelist  Mark,  similar  to  the  likeness  spoken 
of  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  prophecy  of  Eze- 
chiel.  In  Venice  at  almost  every  turn,  on  low 
pedestal  or  lofty  pillar,  is  seen  the  winged  lion, 
symbol  of  its  patron  saint,  and  also  of  the 
cherubim  seen  by  the  prophet  Ezechiel  before 
the  throne  of  God.  Meeting  it  so  frequently, 
and  knowing  its  meaning,  it  was  to  me  one  of 
the  most  inspiring  emblems  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  / 

St.  Mark's  is  a  most  wonderful  church,  of 
mixed  Byzantine  and  Gothic  style,  and  of  ori- 
ental magnificence,  on  which  the  treasures  of 
the  East  and  West  were  lavished.  It  received 
presents  from  the  wealthy  and  adventurous  citi- 
zens of  the  republic  which  gold  could  not  pur- 
chase. It  is  adorned  by  five  hundred  pillars 
of  every  variety  of  material  and  design,  brought 
by  ships  of  Venetian  merchants  from  every  re- 
gion of  the  Orient,  and  among  them  are  two, 
which  help  to  support  one  of  the  altars,  that  are 
said  to  have  belonged  to  the  temple  of  Solomon 
in  Jerusalem.  St.  Mark's  is  in  the  form  of  a 
^Greek  cross,  and  springing  up  from  its  walls 


and  the  Holy  Land.  343 

and  roof  is  a  very  forest  of  domes  and  pinna- 
cles. At  the  entrance  the  eye  is  attracted  by 
four  gilded  bronze  horses,  five  feet  in  height, 
which  even  the  man  of  uncultivated  tastes  will 
admire,  but  which  the  artist  will  at  once  rec- 
ognize as  among  the  choicest  works  of  art. 
It  is  claimed  by  many  that  they  are  the  pro- 
ductions of  Roman  skill  in  the  time  of  Nero ; 
by  others  it  is  thought  that  they  were  brought 
to  Rome  from  Alexandria  by  Augustus  Caesar ; 
while  for  a  long  time  they  were  believed  to  be, 
and  perhaps  truly,  the  creations  of  the  renowned 
Grecian  Lysippus.  In  the  interior  the  church 
is  about  210  feet  in  width,  by  260  feet  in  length- 
Its  walls  are  covered  with  rich  marbles  and 
mosaics.  How  impossible  it  would  be  to  give  a 
brief  and  intelligible  description  of  its  remark- 
able mosaic  pictures  may  be  understood  from 
the  fact  that  they  cover  a  surface  of  45,790 
square  feet.  When  we  entered  the  church  we 
were  somewhat  surprised  to  find  it  full  of  peo- 
ple, but  we  immediately  saw  that  preparations 
were  being  made  for. a  solemn  requiem  Mass. 
The  vast  number  of  those  present  were  standing, 
some  were  kneeling  on  the  stone  floors,  while 
several  long  lines  of  aged  men  and  women  were 
occupying  seats.  They  were  dressed  in  uniform, 
the  men  having  blue  coats  with  brass  buttons, 


344  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  collars  and  facings  like  those  worn  by 
Americans  in  colonial  days ;  the  women  were 
attired  in  a  neat  but  more  simple  fashion.  It 
was  easy  to  see  that  a  large  number  of  those  in 
attendance  were  not  Catholics,  but  were  drawn 
hither  through  curiosity.  I  approached  as  near 
to  the  altar  as  possible.  'Many  priests  were  in 
the  sanctuary,  and  after  the  Mass  assisted  at  the 
absolution.  A  large  choir  occupied  one  gallery, 
and  a  full  orchestra  the  other,  both  being  just 
over  the  sanctuary  on  either  side.  The  harmoni- 
ous music  of  the  two  was  very  fine,  arid  helped 
to  raise  my  soul  above  the  pleasures  enjoyed  by 
mere  tourists,  thankful  that  I  was  everywhere  at 
home  in  God's  Church  ;  and  for  a  time  I  forgot 
how  hard  the  stone  pavements  are  to  the  bended 
knee  of  the  worshipper.  For  whom  the  Mass 
was  offered  I  do  not  know,  but  I  heard  after- 
wards that  one  hundred  Masses  were  said  annu- 
ally on  that  day  for  some  person,  who  was  a 
man  of  wealth  and  importance  while  he  lived, 
and  who  had  left  a  legacy  to  be  applied  in  this 
manner  for  his  soul.V 

At  -two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  were 
waiting  in  the  piazza  to  witness  the  feeding  of 
the  doves,  which  takes  place  daily  at  that 
hour,  and  has  been  a  daily  occurrence  for 
nearly  seven  hundred  years.  Near  the  Church 


and  the  Holy  Land.  345 

of  St.  Mark  is  a  clock-tower,  whe*e  two  bronze 
Vulcans  —  called  the  ' '  Moors ' '  -  strike  the 
hours. 

Other  clocks  from  different  towers  struck  the 
hour  of  two,  and  hardly  a  pigeon  was  seen, 
and  none  in  flight ;  but  the  clock  of  St.  Mark 
told  us  that  hour  had  arrived,  and  hundreds 
of  doves  from  every  outside  nook  and  corner 
of  the  great  buildings  around  the  square  flew 
in  flocks  to  the  places  where  they  are  accus- 
tomed to  be  fed.  Many  strangers  buy  corn 
with  which  to  feed  them,  and  are  quickty 
covered  with  the  tame,  confiding  birds,  which 
light  upon  their  heads,  shoulders,  and  hands, 
out  of  which  they  eat.  They  always  know 
two  o'clock,  and  wait  for  the  right  clock  to 
strike  it.  / 

In  the  evening  we  walked  beside  the  harbor, 
and  through  the  place  of  St.  Mark,  and  ob- 
served the  pleasure -seeking  Venetians  at  their 
evening  enjoyments.  We  afterwards  returned 
to  our  hotel,  and  each  chose  his  own  method 
of  passing  the  remaining  two  hours  before 
retiring.  I  enjoyed  myself  at  my  room 
window,  overlooking  the  lively  street  and 
harbor.  It  seems  that  on  that  particular  Satur- 
day night  the  inhabitants  were  celebrating 
some  special  event  or  festival,  and  they  made 


346  A    Visit  to  Europe 

a  great  deal  of  noise,  with  gay  spirits  and 
happy  voices.  But  notwithstanding  the  more 
endurable  temperature  of  the  evening,  and  the 
faint  breath  that  came  over  the  waters  from 
the  sea,  I  began  to  long  for  the  cooling  breezes 
of  more  northern  climes.  The  next  morning 
was  Sunday,  and  we  attended  early  Mass  at 
St.  Mark's./ 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

NORTHERN   ITALY    AND  SOUTHERN    SWITZERLAND. 

THE  early  forenoon  found  us  at  the  railway 
station,  and  soon  after  we  were  moving  behind 
the  iron  horse  over  the  waters  that  separate 
Venice  from  the  mainland,  on  our  way  to 
Milan.  We  went  back  to  Padua  over  the  same 
road  by  which  we  came,  but  beyond  that  city 
we  continued  in  a  westerly  direction,  passing 
through  Vicenza  —  ancient  Vicetia  —  Verona, 
and  Brescia — Brixia  of  the  ancients.  Many  of 
these  northern  Italian  cities  were  founded  or 
occupied  by  the  Celts  before  the  Christian  era, 
and  centuries  ago  were  towns  of  great  wealth 
and  importance.  Brescia  was  once  the  rival  of 
Milan,  and  Verona  was  the  residence  of  the 
Ostrogoth,  Theodoric  the  Great,  and  of  other 


and  the  Holy  Land.  347 

notable  -monarchs.  It  was  also  the  native  place 
of  several  of  the  classic  authors.  We  rode 
along  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Garda,  the 
largest  lake  of  Upper  Italy '—  the  Lacus  Benacus 
of  the  Komans,  and  whose  tempestuous  waves 
are  spoken  of  by  Virgil,  who  was  born  in  these 
northern  regions,  near  Mantua,  riot  far  south 
of  the  place  which  we  were  now  passing.  It 
seerns  that  the  milder  clime  and  dreamier  days 
of  the  southern  peninsula  were  more  congenial 
to  his  poetic  nature  than  the  more  inclement 
seasons  of  his  northern  home.  But  without 
doubt  the  more  vigorous  blood  of  his  youth 
infused  strength  and  energy  into  the  warmer 
and  more  passionate  life-glow  of  his  maturer 
years.  Our  eyes  rested  with  pleasure  on  the 
well  cultivated  southern  borders  of  the  lake, 
and  penetrated  as  far  as  they  were  able  into 
the  wilder  recesses  of  its  northern  shores, 
where  the  mountains  of  Tyrol  raised  tlieir 
rugged  outlines  against  the  northern  sk}r.  I 
had  always  desired  to  visit  the  country  of  the 
devout  Tyrolese,  but  want  of  time,  added  to  the 
inconvenience  of  the  route  that  we  should  have 
to  take,  discouraged  the  fulfilment  of  our  first 
plans  in  that  direction.  We  saw  its  mountains 
from  the  south  and  north,  and  passed  nearly 
around  its  borders,  but  like  Moses,  who  beheld 


348  A    Visit  to  Europe 

the  promised  land  from  afar,  we. did  not  enter 
into  it.  / 

/We  were  now  in  Lombardy,  a  country  rich  in 
the  products  of  nature,  and  in  the  physical 
and  intellectual  qualities  of  its  manhood  and 
womanhood.  Rows  of  trees,  which  to  my  eyes 
resembled  those  familiar  to  us  in  many  parts 
of  our  own  land,  and  called  by  us  Lombardy 
poplars,  reminded  us  of  home ;  and  in  other 
respects  different  regions  of  northern  Italy  were 
not  dissimilar  in  appearance  to  parts  of  our 
own  country.  The  country  and  people  of 
Northern  Italy  appeared  to  me  to  differ  in 
many  of  their  characteristics  from  those  of 
Southern  Italy,  and  both  of  these  from  those 
of  Central  Italy  ;  although  the  inhabitants  of 
some  of  the  seaport  towns  in  the  northern  and 
central  provinces  seemed  to  a  greater  extent 
than  the  others  to  resemble  the  people  of  the 
more  southern  latitude.  ] 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  city 
of  St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Charles  Borromeo  came 
in  sight,  and  soon  afterward  the  railway  guards 
shouted  "Milano!"  But  the  train  guards  of 
northern  Italy,  however  robust  in  other  re- 
spects, will  never  be  able  to  sound  the  musical 
names  of  even  their  grandest  cities  with  the 
lung-power  and  noise  with  which  the  southern 


and  the  Holy  Land.  349 

Italian  guard  shouts  the  name  *)f  his  favorite 
"  Napoli !  "  Milan,  the  Mediolanum  of  the 
Romans,  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  Lombardy, 
and  has  always  been  an  enterprising  and 
wealthy  city.  In  the  earliest  times  known  to 
history  the  surrounding  country  was  inhabited 
by  the  Etruscans,  until  about  the  sixth  century 
before  Christ,  when  they  were  driven  out  by 
the  Celts,  who  then  founded  the  city  of  Milan, 
which  in  the  third  century  B.C.  came  under  the 
power  of  Rome.  We  directed  our  driver  to 
convey  us  to  the  hotel  Roma,  which  was  some 
distance  from  the  station,  but  near  Milan's 
celebrated  cathedral.  As  we  rode  through  the 
city  all  the  signs  of  a  vigorous  population 
were  evident  at  first  sight.  The  city  and  sub- 
urbs possess  frequent  arid  extensive  lines  of 
tramways,  and  we  saw  a  number  of  their  cars, 
especially  in  the  suburbs,  making  fast  time 
behind  locomotives,  puffing  clouds  of  black, 
dirty  smoke,  and  making  their  usual  noise 
and  bluster.  / 

When  we  arrived  in  Milan  we  had  become 
wearied  with  much  sight  seeing.  Sometimes 
for  days  we  might  recover  our  old  enthusiasm, 
and  then  it  would  die  out  again.  I  think  if 
any  one  of  us  had  been  asked  why  he  came  to 
Milan,  he  would  have  answered :  To  see  its 


350  A    Visit  to  Europe 

great  cathedral ;  and  there  just  before  us  it 
now  appeared.  No  one  could  mistake  it  who 
has  ever  seen  its  picture  ;  and  who  has  not 
seen  it  many  times?  It  seemed  like  an  old, 
familiar  sight,  as  if  we  had  seen  it  in  our 
youth,  and  now  returned  to.  it  once  more. 
It  sometimes  happens  that  you  wish  to  leave 
on  your  mind  the  impress  chiefly  of  one  object 
alone.  This  was  the  case  with  me  both  in 
Milan  and  Cologne  ;  and  in  each  place  the 
object  was  its  grand,  magnificent  cathedral. 
We  drove  through  the  city  of  Milan,  and  were 
most  favorably  impressed  with  its  appearance 
and  people.  We  entered  several  churches, 
but  I  could  hardly  name  them.  I  now  wish 
that  we  had  cared  to  observe  something  more 
of  two  which  we  passed  than  the  mere  out- 
side. One  of  these  was  the  Church  of  St. 
Ambrose,  whose  body  lies  beneath  the  high 
altar,  and  where  the  saintly  bishop  rebuked 
the  Emperor  Theodosius,  arid  where  he  preach- 
ed those  learned  and  eloquent  homilies  which 
accomplished  the  conversion  of  St.  Augustine. 
The  other  church  —  or  rather  convent  adjoining 
-  was  that  of  St.  Mary  of  Grace,  which  con- 
tains the  world-renowned  painting  of  the  Last 
Supper  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  We  saw  a  fine 
statue  of  the  artist  in  one  of  the  public 


and  the  Holy  Land.  -351 

places ;  and  during  our  ride,  after  the  first 
visit  to  the  cathedral,  we  saw  the*  outside  of 
the  principal  public  buildings,  places,  and 
monuments  of  Milan.  But  having  seen  them 
we  were  attracted  back  to  the  great  cathedral 
church,  and  were  best  satisfied  when  we  couJd 
sit  or  stand  where  we  could  enjoy  a  new  view 
of  its  grandeur  and  beauty.  / 

After  engaging  rooms  at  the  hotel,  and  be- 
fore our  jaunt  through  the  city,  we  started 
out  to  pay  our  first  visit  to  that  temple  whose 
shining  walls  we  had  seen  only  from  the  out- 
side and  in  the  distance.  When  we  entered, 
an  afternoon  service,  that  did  not  seem  to 
be  Vespers,  was  just  terminating,  which  was 
followed  by  a  sermon  delivered  with  life  and 
energy,  and,  if  I  remember  rightly,  was  con- 
cluded with  the  Benediction  of  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrament.  We  afterwards  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  viewing  the  church.  The  present  edi- 
fice was  commenced  in  the  fourteenth  century, 
and  was  consecrated  about  two  hundred  years 
afterwards  by  St.  Charles  Borromeo ;  and  be- 
neath its  dome,  in  a  subterranean  chapel  rich- 
ly ornamented  with  gold  and  silver  and 
precious  stones,  his  body  rests.  St.  Charles 
became  Archbishop  of  Milan  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  and  ruled  the  see  half  his  life, 


352  A    Visit  to  Europe 

dying  at  the  age  of  forty-six.  It  is  said  that 
the  church  of  Milan  was  planted  by  St.  Bar- 
nabas the  Apostle.  Besides  St.  Ambrose  and 
St.  Charles,  thirty-one  of  its  bishops  have 
been  canonized  saints.  The  present  cathedral 
edifice  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient 
episcopal  basilica  of  the  city.  Its  length  is 
486  feet  ;  its  width  in  the  transepts,  288  feet  ; 
the  highest  point  in  the  arching  of  the  nave,  155 
feet ;  the  height  of  its  highest  tower,  which 
is  surmounted  by  a  statue  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  360  feet;  and,  next  to  St.  Peter's  in 
Rome,  it  is  the  largest  church  in  the  world. 
It  is  built  almost  entirely  of  white  marble, 
which  has  become  tinged  with  a  color  more 
or  less  yellowish,  according  to  its  exposure 
to  the  weather.  Springing  from  its  walls 
and  roof  are  135  pinnacles  and  spires,  and 
it  contains  about  three  thousand  statues  in 
its  niches  or  rising  from  the  topmost  points 
of  its  spires  and  turrets.  Many  niches  are 
yet  vacant,  and  when  they  are  occupied  the 
total  number  of  statues  will  be  4,500.  In  the 
interior  of  the  structure  are  52  pillars,  each 
12  feet  in  diameter  and  80  feet  in  height. 
Instead  of  the  foliated  capitals  usual  to  col- 
umns in  Gothic  churches,  their  summits  or 
capitals,  which  are  18^  feet  in  length,  although 


and  the  Holy  Land.  353 

not  lacking  in  foliations,  are  encircled  and 
adorned  with  canopied  niches  in  which  are 
placed  statues  of  the  saints.  Nearly  every 
reader  is  already  acquainted  with  its  lavish 
ornamentation,  rich  emblematic  windows  of 
stained  glass,  and  the  numerous  works  of 
art  that  adorn  its  altars.  We  saw  and  ap- 
preciated this  great  church  as  only  a  Cath- 
olic can  see  and  appreciate  the  temple  which 
he  knows  was  built  for  the  tabernacle  and 
has  become  the  dwelling-place  of  the  Incar- 
nate God./ 

Towards  evening  we  seated  ourselves  in  a 
pleasant  place,  not  far  distant  from  the 
church,  where  we  could  enjoy  the  golden 
light  of  the  departing  day  and  quietly  con- 
template a  scene  truly  Milanese.  Throngs 
of  people  of  both  sexes,  on  foot  and  in  car- 
riages, were  constantly  passing.  More  than 
half  the  females  wore  black  lace  veils  instead 
of  bonnets  for  a  head -covering.  We  sat  and 
watched  the  happy  faces,  and  listened  to  the 
merry  voices  of  the  passers-by,  which  with  a 
large  number  were  without  doubt  the  reflec- 
tions of  the  bright  sunlight  of  peace  and 
love,  and  echoes  of  the  rippling  music  of  joy 
which  the  Lord's  Bay  brings  to  the  hearts 
of  many.  We  lingered  while  the  resplendent 


354  A    Visit  to  Europe 

sunbeams  climbed  higher  and  higher  up  the 
walls  of  Milan's  great  cathedral,  until  its 
forest  of  spires  and  statues,  turrets  and 
towers,  was  bathed  in  an  ethereal  sea  of 
splendor  which  the  rising  or  setting  sun 
alone  is  able  to  pour  out  upon  this  world  of 
ours.  We  did  not  depart  until  the  last  rays 
of  the  orb  of  day  had  crept  to  the  very 
brow  of  the  statue  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven 
that  adorns  the  highest  tower,  and  had  en- 
circled its  head  with  a  halo  of  glory,  which 
slowly  melted  away  into  twilight.  / 

Early  the  next  morning  we  were  already 
settled  in  a  railway  carriage,  with  tickets  for 
Lucerne,  in  Switzerland.  The  ride  for  the  first 
few  miles  was  not  very  interesting,  but  we 
knew  that  before  we  reached  the  end  of  the 
day's  journey  our  eyes  and  hearts  would  be 
delighted  with  probably  the  finest  and  grandest 
scenery  of  Europe.  While  the  country  was  yet 
Italian,  with  most  of  the  characteristics  that 
belong  to  the  name,  it  became  more  and  more 
distinctively  marked  as  northern  Italian.  The 
Alpine  Mountains  gradually  appeared  more 
clearly  defined,  and  we  could  see  that  we  were 
approaching  a  region  in  many  respects  differ- 
ent from  any  that  we  had  before  seen.  The 
clear,  blue  waters  of  Lake  Como  soon  came 
in  sight,  surrounded  by  their  lofty  mountain 


and  the  Holy  Land.  355 

shores.  This  lake  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  world,  lying  in  the 
midst  of  a  fertile  district,  which  is  inhabited 
by  an  intelligent  and  prosperous  people.  Lake 
Como  was  the  Lacus  Larius  of  the  Romans, 
and  Virgil  sings  its  praises.  The  town  of 
Como  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  birthplace 
of  the  elder  and  younger  Pliny,  and  of  other 
distinguished  men.  At  stations  like  that  of 
Como  our  train  usually  stopped  five  or  ten 
minutes.  For  a  short  distance  after  leaving 
the  station  the  railroad  ran  along  the  bor- 
ders of  the  lake,  and  I  tried  to  get  a  good 
view  of  every  changing  scene,  to  see  if  there 
was  any  that  I  remembered  ever  to  have 
seen  in  pictures.  In  about  half  an  hour  we 
reached  the  shores  of  Lake  Lugano,  along 
which  we  rode  for  nearly  half  the  way  from 
Como  to  Lugano,  a  succession  of  views  ap- 
pearing as  delightful  as  any  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  I  am  unable  to  express  my  full  ad- 
miration for  this  country,  so  beautiful  and 
grand,  so  rich  and  rare  in  all  the  resources 
of  nature./ 

At  Lugano  our  baggage  was  examined  and 
we  were  fumigated.  It  was  lucky  for  us  that 
we  were  travelling  north  instead  of  south,  for 
the  Italian  authorities  had  proclaimed  a  quar- 
antine of  five  days.  The  next  year  Italy  got 


356  A    Visit  to  Europe 


the  cholera,  and  Switzerland  escaped  it.  We 
passed  through  the  charming  valleys  of  Ticino, 
the  Italian  canton  of  Switzerland.  We  tra- 
versed almost  the  entire  length  of  the  valley  of 
the  river  Ticino,  and  at  length  began  gradually 
to  ascend  the  Alps.  The  road  would  pass 
through  a  tunnel,  and  then  curve  around  the 
mountain  and  into  another  tunnel,  until 
finally,  with  Alpine  peaks  half-surrounding 
us,  we  could  look  down  the  mountain-side 
into  a  wide-extended  valley  spread  out  far 
below  us,  with  its  farms,  villages,  and  cities, 
and  its  river  like  a  thread  of  shining  silver 
winding  through  a  green  velvet  ground.  WTe 
passed  over  rushing  torrents  and  through 
many  quiet  Alpine  hamlets,  reposing  in  the 
silence  and  solitude  of  the  mountains,  where 
even  the  noisy,  hastening  train  hardly  seemed 
to  disturb  them  for  a  moment  in  their  dreamy 
existence.  I  began  to  feel  a  desire  to  live 
in  one  of  those  mountain  hamlets,  far  away 
from  the  noise,  business,  and  molestations  of 
the  world.  I  began  a  poem,  which  I  intend 
to  finish  on  some  future  occasion,  as  an  ex- 
pression of  my  feelings  at  that  time : 

Oh  t  in  the  Swiss  mountains   would   I   might   dwell, 

With  a  few   loved   friends  around   me, 
While   none  but   those  bound  by    love's   mystic  spell 

Should  in  my  hamlet  surround  me.  N 


and  the  Holy  Land.  357 

After  a  while  we  were  entirely  ^surrounded 
by  the  grand,  glorious  mountains.  Sometimes 
on  both  sides  were  mountain  heights  ;  at  other 
times  on  one  side  would  be  a  deep,  wild 
chasm,  and  looking  down  into  its  depths  the 
brain  would  grow  dizzy ;  on  the  other  side, 
thousands  of  feet  above  us,  giant  peaks  raised 
their  crested  heads  into  the  regions  of  per 
petual  snow,  and  seemed  almost  to  touch  the 
sky.  In  places  the  snow  did  not  appear  to 
be  far  above  us,  while  in  others  it  was  more 
distant,  and,  melting  under  the  heat  of  a  July 
sun,  sent  down  the  rocky  steeps  cascades 
white-foaming  and  bright- shining  in  the  sun- 
light, which,  as  well  as  I  could  judge,  fell 
down  in  an  almost  perpendicular  line  two 
thousand  feef.  When  not  entirely  occupied 
with  outside  scenery  we  found  a  number  of 
things  inside  the  car  to  invite  our  attention, 
and,  when  the  train  would  go  slow  or  stop, 
the  conversation  was  not  altogether  uninter- 
esting. Our  car  was  modelled  partly  after  the 
American  style,  and  I  must  acknowledge  that 
this  fact— because  there  was  a  larger  and 
more  diversified  company — added  in  some  ways 
to  the  pleasure  of  the  journey.  As  we  began 
to  leave  the  valley  and  ascend  the  mountain, 
I  made  closer  observations  of  my  immediate 


358  A    Visit  to  Europe 

surroundings.     I  found  that  the  more  dogmatic 
of    my  two  friends    was    crowded    into    rather 
close  quarters  in  the  neighborhood  of  an  Eng- 
lish lady,  who,  finding  that  he  spoke  English, 
and  seeing  a  number  of  wayside  shrines  along 
the  mountain  road,   unhappily  for  herself  had 
made  a  bigoted  remark  about  them.     He  was 
engaged    in    telling    her    some   salutary    truths 
which    probably  she    never    before  had  heard. 
My  other  friend,  who  rather   prides  himself  on 
business   matters,  was  explaining  to  the  lady's 
brother    how    it    happens    that    English    stock- 
holders do  not  always  realize   as  large    a    per- 
centage  on    their    American  railroad  stocks   as 
they    had    anticipated.     Just    in    front   of    me, 
on    a    seat    facing  .  mine,     were    a    bride    and 
bridegroom.     She  was  a  good-looking    country 
girl,  but  there  was  no  great  attraction  in  that ; 
it    was    the    old-fashioned   bridal    costume   she 
wore     that     interested     me.      If     I    remember 
rightly,     she    wore    a     colored    skirt,    with    a 
white  and  colored  bodice,   while    silver  chains 
and    ornaments,    fastening    the    various    parts, 
were  skilfully  arranged  to  produce   a   pleasing 
effect.     Her  mother  and  her  grandmother,  and 
perhaps   her   ancestors    in   the  female    line   for 
centuries,  wore  a  bridal  dress   like  the    one  in 
which     she    was    now    adorned.      I     like     old 


and  the  Holy  Land.  359 

fashions,  for  they  have  a  memory^  and  a  his- 
tory attached  to  them.  I  like  those  people 
who  cling  to  the  customs  and  costumes,  and 
who  have  a  love  for  the  traditions  of  their 
forefathers.  / 

The  train  had  at  length  climbed  the  moun- 
tains until  we  were  nearly  .four  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  about 
to  enter  the  tunnel  of  St.  Gothard,  which  is 
the  longest  in  the  world.  It  is  nine  and  one- 
half  miles  in  length,  and  it  took  the  train 
twenty-five  minutes  to  pass  through  it.  The 
highest  summit  of  the  mountain  through  winch 
the  tunnel  is  made  rises  to  the  height  of 
about  eleven  thousand  feet.  We  were  now 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  sources  of  the  rivers 
Rhine,  Rhone,  and  Ticino,  whose  respective 
waters  flow  into  the  German,  Mediterranean, 
and  Adriatic  seas.  At  the  next  station  after 
our  exit  from  the  tunnel  we  took  dinner. 
Although  in  the  valleys  below  the  day  had 
been  quite  warm,  we  were  here  surrounded  by 
thick  mists,  and  it  was  so  chilly  that  we  were 
thankful  to  have  our  overcoats  to  wear  on 
leaving  the  train.  / 


360  A    Visit  to  Europe 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

THE    HOME    OF     WILLIAM    TELL    AND    THE     FOUK 
FOKEST     CANTONS. 

THE  descent  had  already  commenced,  and 
was  a  reversed  repetition  of  the  ascent,  al- 
though the  northern  side  is  not  so  steep  as 
the  southern,  and  in  some  other  respects  the 
nature  of  the  country  had  changed ;  the  south- 
ern side  of  the  mountains  being  the  land  of 
the  vine  and  yellow  sunshine,  and  the  north- 
ern side  a  land  of  lowing  herds  and  green 
pastures.  We  had  now  entered  the  region 
where  Swiss  independence  had  its  birth.  We 
passed  through  Burglen,  the  birthplace  of 
William  Tell,  and  soon  after  through  Alt- 
dorf,  the  place  where  Tell  is  said  to  have 
shot  the  apple  from  his  son's  head,  al- 
though this  story  is  probably  a  fable. 
The  next  'station  was  Fllielen,  where  the 
beautiful  waters  of  Lake  Lucerne,  "  the 
lake  of  the  four  forest  cantons,"  lay  calmly 
in  the  midst  of  the  grand  Swiss  mountains, 
whose  rocky  heights  so  often  echoed  to  the 
shouts  of  heroes  in  their  battles  for  liberty. 
Many  of  the  passengers  here  left  the  train  to 


and  the  Holy  Land.  361 

take  the  boat  for  Lucerne,  as  that  is  con- 
sidered the  most  interesting  route".  We  were 
doubtful  whether  to  throw  away  our  railway 
tickets  and  go  by  steamboat,  or  continue  by 
land.  We  decided  to  go  by  rail,  and  I,  for 
one,  was  not  sorry.  Probably  the  water  route 
was  to  be  preferred,  but  we  should  have 
missed  so  many  charming  views,  where  moun- 
tain scenery,  glimpses  of  the  bright  waters  of 
the  lake,  green  pastures  and  meadows,  grazing 
flocks  and  herds,  large,  comfortable  Swiss  farm- 
houses and  pleasant  and  picturesque  villages, 
commingled  in  ever-recurring  scenes  of  delight, 
that  I  am  well  satisfied  with  our  choice.  If  we 
had  not  chosen  as  we  did,  no  other  part  of 
Europe  that  we  saw  could  have  taken  the  place 
of  that  journey  of  an  hour./ 

The  "four  forest  cantons,"  Lucerne,  Schwytz, 
Uri,  and  Unterwalden,  which  surround  the  Lake 
of  Lucerne,  three  of  which  formed  the  original 
Swiss  league  of  the  thirteenth  century,  which 
the  fourth  soon  afterward  joined,  are  the 
strongholds  of  Swiss  freedom,  as  Switzerland 
is  the  keystone  of  civil  liberty  in  Europe. 
Sometimes  Switzerland  forgets  her  traditions, 
and  by  a  bare  majority  overrides  the  rights  of 
those  of  her  citizens  to  whose  ancestors  she 
owes  whatever  of  liberty  she  possesses.  The 


362  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 

inhabitants  of  these  four  cantons  are  almost 
entirely  German,  and  have  retained  that  an- 
cient faith  which  their  forefathers  held  when 
the  morning  sun  which  ushered  in  the  day 
of  Swiss  national  independence  shone  with  a 
new  light  over  their  mountains,  lakes,  and. 
valleys./ 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  ar- 
rived in  Lucerne.  The  situation  of  the  city, 
humanly  speaking,  is  perfect.  On  the  banks 
of  the  Reuss,  on  the  shores  of  the  ]ake  of 
Lucerne,  it  reposes  like  a  picture  encircled  in 
a  frame  of  mountains.  Before  sin  and  its  effects 
entered  into  the  world,  Switzerland  was  an 
earthly  paradise ;  and  so  far  as  the  mere 
charms  of  nature  are  concerned,  the  curse  of 
God  fell  lightly  on  it.  He  evidently  wished 
to  preserve  some  spots  of  earth  as  only  par- 
tially disfigured  patterns  of  the  first  beauties 
of  His  creation.  Probably  not  every  one 
would  enjoy  Swiss  scenery  as  I  did,  but,  next 
to  God  and  faith,  and  the  objects  they  present 
to  my  devotion,  nature  and  nationalities  have 
always  held  one  of  the  most  sacred  places  in 
my  heart.  And  it  is  possible  that  the  spirit 
of  freedom,  which  so  often  dwells  in  the  fast- 
nesses of  mountains,  may  have  enhanced  in 
eyes  the  natural  charms  of  Switzerland. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  363 

I  was  born  under  a  democratic  government, 
and  the  first  banner  that  pleased  my  childish 
eyes  was  the  flag  of  a  republic ;  it  is  there- 
fore but  natural  that  wherever  in  the  Old 
World  I  found  republics,  past  or  present,  which 
had  exalted  the  name,  and  where  the  home 
was  loved  and  the  family  honored,  I  experi- 
enced a  feeling  of  gratification.  Yet  I  have  a 
no  less  sincere  admiration  for  those  kingdoms 
and  empires  that  have  fulfilled  the  true  destiny 
of  civil  government  towards  the  people  and 
towards  God.  But  in  Switzerland  the  angel 
of  liberty  that  first  floated  on  the  light  of 
the  morning  had  around  her  brow  not  alone 
a  garland  of  all  that  is  beautiful  in  nature, 
but  a  nimbus  of  all  that  is  radiant  in  grace 
divine.  / 

We  went  to  the  hotel  which  we  had  se- 
lected, the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten, 
but  it  proved  to  be  an  excellent  one.  Lu- 
cerne has  so  many  good  hotels,  so  pleasantly 
located,  that  it  would  hardly  be  necessary  to 
mention  the  name  of  any  one  in  particular. 
After  we  had  been  shown  our  rooms  we 
started  out  for  a  ]ong  stroll  through  the  town, 
visiting  several  churches,  in  which  there  were 
monuments  and  decorations  quaint  and  old, 
iind  where  we  were  glad  once  more  to  see 


364  A    Visit  to  Europe 

pews.  In  my  mind  pews  or  well-arranged 
chairs  are  in  some  way  closely  associated 
with  proper  Christian  instruction.  We  passed 
over  the  different  bridges  with  their  legendary 
paintings,  and  saw  whatever  else  was  curious 
or  interesting.  We  bought  a  number  of  arti- 
cles, and  were  always  pleased  with  the  honest 
habits  of  the  people.  When  we  entered  one 
of  the  stores,  the  English  lady  whom  we  had 
met  on  the  train  was  trying  to  make  a  bar- 
gain, speaking  German  with  a  decided  Eng- 
lish accent,  which  seemed  very  much  to  puz- 
zle the  saleswoman.  One  of  my  friends  made 
proper  explanation  of  what  she  wanted  to  say, 
and  the  parties  came  to  an  understanding. 
Towards  evening  and  again  the  next  morning 
we  spent  our  time  sitting  in  some  quiet  place 
enjoying  the  scenes  surrounding  us.  We 
thought  of  making  an  excursion  on  the  lake. 
A  ride  on  the  lake  would  have  been  pleas- 
ant, and  a  visit  to  the  Rigi,  which  appeared 
in  the  near  distance,  would  have  been  inspir- 
ing; but  we  finally  concluded  that  we  enjoyed 
ourselves  full  as  well  where  we  were.  \ 

Towards  noon  on  the  day  after  our  arrival 
we  took  the  train  for  Rorschach,  on  °the  lake 
of  Constance.  Early  in  the  journey  we  passed 
through  the  two  old  cities  of  Zug  and  Zurich, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  365 

situated  on  lakes  of  the  same  name.  At 
Winterthur  we  could  have  made  *  connection 
with  a  train  which  passed  through  St.  Gall, 
but  we  did  not  know  it  .in  time,  and  had 
bought  tickets  by  way  of  Romanshorn.  From 
this  last  place  the  railway  ran  by  the  side 
of  the  lake  until  we  reached  our  destination, 

where    we    arrived  about    three    hours    before 

« 

dark.     During  the  day  we  had  passed  through 
a  fertile  and  prosperous  country,  and  had  the 
opportunity  of   testing  the   truthfulness  of   the 
statement  of    some  Protestant    travellers,    that 
one  can  readily  discern  when    lie  passes  from 
a    Catholic   to    a    Protestant    canton    by     the 
signs    of    superior    industry    in    the    latter.     I 
had  supposed  it  hardly  possible  that  imagina- 
tion and   bigotry  could    so  prejudice  the  judg- 
ment  of  man,  for  it  is  impossible  to    tell   the 
difference  between  them.     The  scenery  of  most 
of  the  Catholic  cantons    that    we   saw  during 
the  ride  pleased  me    better,   but  yet  I    could 
not  in  honesty  affirm  that  in  them  the  farms 
were    better    cultivated    or    the   farm-buildings 
better   than    those  of    their    Protestant    neigh- 
bors.   They   seem    to  learn  good    farming    and 
habits    of    industry    from    each    other    without 
regard    to    the    religion    that    they    profess.     I 
am   sure    that  I  am    not  at  all    prejudiced  in 


366  A    Visit  to  Europe 

this  matter,  for  the  neat  hedges  and  well- 
kept  farms  of  England  delighted  my  eyes 
just  the  same  as  if  they  had  not  been  owned 
and  cultivated  by  Protestant  farmers.  How 
such  fictions  can  be  related  by  honest  men 
is  inconceivable.  But  bigotry  usually  makes 
men  dishonest  and  incapable  of  truthful  state- 
ments on  any  matter  even  remotely  connected 
with  religion.  We  had  partly  expected  to 
meet  in  Rorschach  an  honored  priest  and  pro- 
fessor of  our  Provincial  Seminary,  who  was 
visiting  his  native  place,  and  who  had  re- 
quested us  to  notify  him  of  our  coming,  which 
we  had  failed  to  do.  We  were  informed  by 
his  brother  that  the  doctor  had  been  absent 
for  several  days  on  a  visit  to  Lucerne,  the 
city  which  we  had  just  left.  We  enjoyed 
ourselves  until  dark  strolling  through  the 
quiet  town,  refreshed  by  the  breezes  that  were 
wafted  over  the  land  from  the  cool  surface 
of  the  Boden  See.  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  367 

4  • 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

FROM     LAKE     CONSTANCE    TO    THE    CITY     OE    THE 


/  THE  next  morning  we  took  the  boat  for 
Lindau,  in  Bavaria,  on  our  way  to  Munich. 
The  lake  of  Constance,  which  we  were  now 
crossing,  is  about  forty -five  miles  long  and 
nine  miles  wide.  Its  shores  belong  to  the 
territory  of  Baden,  Wiirtemberg,  Bavaria, 
Austria,  arid  Switzerland. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  as  we  float- 
ed out  over  the  waters  of  the  lake  the  re- 
ceding shores  of  Switzerland  rose  into  higher 
uplands  at  the  south,  and  towards  the  north 
settled  into  a  level,  fertile  plain  with  farm- 
houses and  villages.  Toward  the  southeast 
the  snow-capped  mountains  of  Tyrol  shone  in 
the  morning  sunlight,  while  close  to  the  water, 
but  near  to  the  mountains,  reposed  the  fair 
Austrian  town  of  Bregenz.  We  were  sorry 
that  we  could  not  set  our  feet  on  Austrian 
soil,  but  were  glad  that  under  such  favorable 
circumstances  our  eyes  rested  on  so  pleasant 
a  corner  of  the  Austrian  domain.  I  have  a 


368  A    Visit  to  Europe 

very  friendly  feeling  toward  Austria,  because 
it  is  a  land  that  has  probably  been  least  harmed 
by  irreligious  liberalism  of  any  country  of 
national  importance  in  Europe.  Before  us  was 
the  Catholic  land  of  Bavaria ;  and  probably 
that  low-lying  line  of  blue  between  the  lake 
and  sky,  darker  than  either,  away  to  the 
northwest,  belonged  to  Wiirteniberg  and  Baden. 
To  the  true  German  heart  this  must  be  one 
of  the  central  places  of  interest  in  the  Father- 
land. No  one  of  us  had  any  German  blotfd 
in  his  veins,  but  we  all  appreciated  that  calm 
morning  when  a  loving  sky  smiled  upon  a 
region  of  the  earth  so  fair.  / 

In  about  ati  hour  we  landed  at  Lindau,  which 
is  built  on  an  island,  where  we  were  to  take 
the  train  for  Munich.  It  would  not  start  for 
more  than  an  hour,  so  we  concluded  in  the 
meantime  to  ramble  through  the  city.  The 
streets  were  quiet,  and  the  inhabitants  had 
evidently  begun  the  day  with  the  intention  of 
keeping  as  cool  as  the  weather  would  allow. 
By  a  few  purchases  we  got  our  first  ex- 
perience of  the  cheapness  of  articles  of  food 
and  drink  in  Bavaria  and  some  other  parts 
of  southern  Germany.  Nearly  everything  •  in 
that  line  costs  only  about  half  what  it  does 
in  other  parts  of  Europe,  and  for  those  hav- 


and  the  Holy  Land. 


ing  incomes  from  other    countries?  it  must  be 
a  very  economical  place   of  residence.  / 

We  returned  to  the  station  in  time  for  the 
train    to  Munich.     The  country  through  which 
we  passed  was  comparatively  level,  and  seemed 
to    be   chiefly    agricultural.       The   towns   were 
not    large,    but    were    well  built,    and   always 
possessed   a  substantial    church,    of  the  plain, 
German    style,     and    which    was     usually    the 
principal   edifice  of  the  place.      During  nearly 
the    entire  ride    the  Bavarian    Alps   presented 
an  uneven  chain  of  rocky  heights    and  snow- 
capped    peaks     along     the    southern    horizon. 
We    were  now    passing   through    Catholic    Ba- 
varia.     The    population    of    Bavaria    is  almost 
entirely  of  the  Germanic  race,  and  about  three- 
fourths  of  its   inhabitants  are   Catholics.     Near 
the    middle    of   the    afternoon    we    arrived    in 
Munich,    and    having    chosen  a    hotel  not    far 
from  the   railroad   station,  and  having   secured 
rooms,  we  started  out  to  see  the  city.    Munich, 
which   was  originally  a  monastic  town,   is  not 
a    city    of    great    antiquity    in    the    European 
sense,  although  if  it  were  in  America  it  would 
be  considered  a  very   old  city,  having  been  a 
place    of    considerable     importance    for    about 
seven   centuries.       Looked  on  from    a  modern 
standpoint,    it    is   one    of    the    most    attractive 


370  A    Visit  to  Europe 

cities  of  Europe.  It  is  situated  on  the  river 
Isar,  and  contains  a  population  of  more  than 
230,000.  It  is  stated  by  good  authorities  that 
the  excellent  qualities  of  the  water  from  the 
Isar,  coming  as  it  does  with  quick  flow  from 
the  mountains  of  Tyrol,  have  much  to  do  in 
making  Munich  beer  celebrated  throughout 
the  world.  Whether  this  peculiar  quality  was 
discovered  by  the  people  of  Munich  from 
chemical  analysis,  or  whether  they  actually 
drank  some  of  the  water,  I  was  not  informed. 
In  other  countries  of  Europe  Vienna  beer  ap- 
pears to  be  more  popular ;  but  when  we 
consider  tlie  size  of  an  ordinary  measure 
of  beer  according  to  the  Munich  standard, 
its  low  price,  and  the  natural  patriotism  of 
any  people  which  influences  them  to  patronize 
home  institutions,  we  can  readily  surmise  why 
so  little  Munich  beer  ever  gets  outside  of 
Bavaria.  It  has  been  noticed  that  the  many 
foreigners  who  live  in  Munich  become  quick- 
ly attached  to  the  native  habits  of  the  people, 
and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  a 
stranger  from  foreign  lands  sitting  in  some 
public  resort  with  a  half-gallon  beer-mug 
before  him,  trying  to  look  like  a  native  of 
the  place ;  and  oftentimes  he  would  not  be 
detected  if  he  did  not  drink  his  beer  in  about 


and  the  Holy  Land.  371 

half  the  time  taken  by  one  to  the  manner 
born.  / 

We  went  to  Munich  to  see  the  manner  of 
life  of  its  inhabitants  as  they  appeared  in  the 
churches,  on  the  streets,  in  the  parks,  and 
wherever  we  might  meet  them.  Among  the 
first  objects  that  I  wanted  to  see  was  the  Isar. 
We  took  a  street-car— whose  passengers  to 
some  extent  made  me  think  of  Milwaukee— 
and  rode  until  we  had  crossed  the  swift-flow- 
ing stream,  where  we  alighted  just  at  the 
entrance  into  an  extensive  park.  Here  we 
had  full  freedom  to  wander  up  and  down  the 
river-bank,  amid  the  shady  groves  and  grassy 
dells,  where  we  could  get  a  brief  rest  from 
the  scenes  and  noise  of  cities  and  railway 
trains.  Snatches  of  Munich  stories  of  artist 
and  student  life  floated  on  dreamy  wings 
through  my  memory,  and  communicated  a 
poetic  atmosphere  and  spirit  to  Munich  life 
and  scenes.\ 

The  next  day  we  started  out  at  rather  an 
early  hour  to  get  a  sight  of  the  people  and 
streets  in  the  morning;  for  we  had  found 
from  experience  that  the  morning  hour  pre- 
sents another  view  of  the  people  than  midday 
or  afternoon.  We  walked  a  part  of  the  time, 
and  then  would  rest  ourselves  in  some  place 


372  A    Visit  to  Europe 

favorable  for  observation.  At  length  we 
reached  the  cathedral  church,  which  is  a 
venerable  edifice,  containing  a  large  number 
of  finely  adorned  altars.  Near  the  door 
through  which  we  entered  was  a  notice, 
printed  in  different  languages,  forbidding  tour- 
ists and  others  during  the  morning  hours  to 
walk  about  the  church  inspecting  the  paint- 
ings and  other  works  of  art.  This  did  not 
apply  to  us,  for  we  united  some  devotion 
with  our  curiosity,  and  knelt  for  a  short  time 
before  making  an  inspection  of  each  altar 
and  its  adornment.  In  this  way  we  better 
appreciated  what  we  saw  ;  for  when  with  rever- 
ential spirit  one  visits  the  different  parts  of 
a  church  on  which  much  labor  and  art  have 
been  bestowed,  lie  gets  a  better  conception  of 
the  fitness  of  the  work  for  the  special  objects 
of  devotion.  We  learned  that  in  a  few  hours 
afterwards  the  archbishop  would  bless  two 
handsome  bells  which  were  mounted  near  the 
front  entrance.  We  determined  to  return  at 
the  time  appointed,  more  than  anything  else 
to  see  the  archbishop  and  clergy.  There 
were  but  few  present  when  the  hour  arrived. 
The  archbishop  with  the  clergy  soon  appeared, 
and  began  the  long  ceremony  of  benediction. 
We  also  visited  the  church  of  St. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  373 

which  is  decorated  in  the  style  Usually  adopt- 
ed by  the  Jesuits.  We  entered  several  other 
churches,  the  names  of  which  I  have  forgotten. 
Some  were  rich  in  the  material  and  style  of 
architecture  employed  in  their  construction, 
and  one  was  chiefly  noticeable  for  its  ancient 
appearance.  We  took  the  tram-cars  and  rode 
through  the  streets  containing  the  principal 
public  buildings ;  we  also  made  a  hasty  visit 
to  the  University,  and  then  passed  under  a 
triumphal  arch  into  a  country-like  district- 
Having  taken  a  long  walk,  we  again  entered 
the  street-cars  to  return  to  the  more  central 
portion  of  the  city.  I  have  since  wondered 
why  I  did  not  visit  some  of  the  celebrated 
Munich  art-galleries.  But  at  that  time  I  was 
impressed  with  the  idea  that,  for  a  while  at 
least,  I  had  seen  enough  of  picture-galleries, 
and  wanted  to  see  more  of  the  people  and 
out-door  life  and  characteristics  of  Europe. 
Not  that  I  was  weary  of  the  works  of  the 
great  masters,  but,  outside  of  those  that  I 
might  meet  in  the  churches,  I  did  not  wish  to 
put  myself  to  the  inconvenience  of  going  to 
the  places  where  they  were  exhibited.  We  took 
two  of  our  meals  in  restaurants.  The  second 
place  we  visited  for  that  purpose  appeared  to 
be  a  favorite  resort  of  students  and  young 


374  A    Visit  to  Europe 

artists.  Next  to  German,  English  was  the 
language  oftenest  heard  among  them.\ 

When  evening  came  two  of  our  number 
sought  our  rooms  for  rest,  but  our  companion 
declared  that  evening  was  the  best  time  to 
enjoy  Munich  life  and  to  witness  her  people 
in  their  gayest  mood.  During  the  night  it 
commenced  to  rain,  and  when  I  looked  out  of 
my  window  in  the  morning  it  appeared  very 
much  like  the  lirst  day  of  the  Deluge.  I  love 
a  rainy  day  when  I  can  remain  in- doors,  and 
under  almost  any  circumstances  I  do  not 
dislike  it.  The  streets  and  city  had  wonder- 
fully changed,  under  the  dark  shadows  of  the 
storm,  from  what  they  were  on  the  bright 
day  preceding,  but  I  enjoyed  them  almost 
better.  \ 

Towards  noon  we  were  passing  out  of  the 
city  on  the  train  for  Ulm.  The  country  was 
drenched  by  the  rain,  which  still  continued. 
As  a  consequence,  nature  was  clothed  in  a 
clean,  fresh  mantle  of  beauty,  which  needed 
only  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun  to  make  it  a 
smiling  green.  We  passed  through  Augsburg, 
which  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  -of  Germany, 
colonized  by  the  Emperor  Augustus  on  a  site 
already  inhabited,  and  called  Damasia.  The 
country  through  which  we  passed  was  more 


and  the  Holy  Land.  375 

pleasing  to  my  eyes  than  that  froni  Lindau  to 

Munich.  / 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  Danube 
and  arrived  in  Ulm,  where  we  had  concluded  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  night. 
We  rarely  travelled  by  night,  as  we  wished  to 
see  the  whole  country  through  which  we  jour- 
neyed. We  selected  a  hotel  near  the  station. 
There  were  only  a  few  other  guests,  but 
among  them  was  a  priest  from  Switzerland, 
who  was  much  interested  in  the  narrations 
of  one  of  my  companions  about  the  Holy 
Land.  After  making  all  necessary  arrange- 
ments we  started  out  to  take  a  stroll  through 
the  city.  The  rain  had  almost  entirely  ceased, 
although  at  times  we  found  it  convenient  to 
make  use  of  our  umbrellas.  Ulm  is  a  quaint 
old  Swabian  town,  and  its  buildings  are 
stately  and  old-fashioned.  The  waters  of  its 
various  streams  were  rushing  past  its  pictur- 
esque old  mills  and  under  its  venerable 
bridges,  soon  to  join  the  deeper  waters  of  the 
Danube.  From  this  point  the  Danube  becomes 
fully  navigable,  and  in  consequence  Ulm  has 
always  been  an  important  commercial  centre./ 

The  chief  object  of  interest  in  the  city  is 
the  "  cathedral,"  which  is  more  than  five 
hundred  years  old.  It  is  now  in  the  hands 


3/6  A    Visit  to  Europe 

of  the  Protestants,  and  is  one  of  the  largest 
Protestant  churches  in  Germany,  being  420 
feet  in  length  and  165  feet  in  width.  If  it 
had  been  -built  by  them  it  would  not  have 
been  so  large.  Notwithstanding  some  late  ef- 
forts at  restoration,  it  continues  to  appear 
very  dilapidated.  A  feeling  of  sorrow  entered 
my  heart  when  I  considered  that  it  is  of  so  lit- 
tle use  to  them,  and  how  much  labor  and  self- 
sacrifice  it  cost  those  who  built  it  in  the 
spirit  of  faith,  with  full  confidence  that  so 
long  as  it  would  exist  it  should  be  the  temple 
of  sacrifice  and  the  habitation  of  the  sacrificial 
Victim.  In  the  large  sacristy  we  were  shown, 
as  curiosities,  the  ancient  adornments  of  the 
altars  and  church :  an  old  crucifix,  some  sa- 
cred paintings  and  metal  reliefs,  and  other 
objects  once  held  in  veneration,  a  part  of 
them  preserved  for  their  intrinsic  value,  and 
others  because  they  were  presented  by  kings 
and  emperors.  When  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon we  returned  to  our  hotel  for  dinner. 
The  proprietor,  who  was  a  Catholic,  tried  to 
make  us  feel  quite  at  home,  in  which  he 
was  very  successful.  \ 

The  next  morning  we  took  the  train  for 
Mainz,  and  during  the  forenoon  passed  through 
the  fertile  kingdom  of  Wurtemberg.  We  en- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  377 

joyed    the    fine    country,     the    w^ll- cultivated 
fields,    and    the  cities  and    villages  along    the 
line  of  road,  surrounded  by  their  gardens  and 
park-like  suburbs.    But  we  were  not  specially 
interested  until  we  began   to  approach  the  re 
gion  of   Heidelberg.     It    is    an  ancient  univer- 
sity  town,    now  belonging    to    Baden,    situated 
on  the  river  Neckar,  amidst  hills  whose  slop- 
ing   sides    are    covered    with    vineyards.     For 
fully  an  hour,  including  the   stop  at   the  sta- 
tion,   we    enjoyed    its    romantic    surroundings. 
Yet,    after  all,    its   scenery  could   not   compare 
with  that  of  scores  of  other  places  which   we 
saw.     But    to    me    there  was  a  poetic   enchant- 
ment of  my  youth  spread  over  the  scene.    It  was 
like  the  remembrance  of  something  humanly  sa- 
cred, almost    forgotten    and    suddenly  revived; 
or,  if   it   were    possible,  the    memory  of   some- 
thing never  experienced,   but  so  vividly  hoped 
for   that    it    had  become    a    partaker   of    some 
of  the  attributes   of    actual  existence ;    or  like 
something    that  had    been  realized    in   another 
state  of  existence,  and  now  remembered  as  if 
a  dream.     When   I   was    a   Protestant  student 
in    college    I    had    asked    my    father    to    let 
me  finish    my  studies  in   Heidelberg.     He    did 
not  then  consent,   because  it  was   so   far  away 
•from    koine,     But    when    the   time  came    that 


378  A    Visit  to  Europe 

my  desire  might  have  been  gratified,  God's 
providence  had  changed  the  whole  direction  of 
my  life.  When  I  looked  out  over  the  place 
that  might  have  been  my  home  for  years, 
and  saw  the  scenes  that  might  have  become 
familiar  to  my  eyes,  it  made  a  sad,  strange 
impression,  like,  if  it  could  be  so,  the  loving 
remembrance  of  a  place  that  had  reflected 
its  image  in  my  soul,  but  which  I  had  never 
seen.  Heidelberg  soon  disappeared,  and  the 
imagination  of  youth  and  the  vision  of  an 
hour  now  stand  side  by  side  in  fancy,  and 
the  one  does  not  seem  much  less  real  than 
the  other.  For  a  considerable  distance  the 
train  ran  by  the  side  of  the  Neckar,  which 
we  at  length  crossed,  and  shortly  after  entered 
Hesse-Darmstadt.  About  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  we  reached  Mainz,  the  city  of  St. 
Boniface,  Apostle  of  Germany, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  379 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

FEOM    MAINZ  TO   COLOGNE — THE   VINE-CLAD    AND 
CASTLE-CROWNED   KHINE. 

MAINZ,  or  Mayence— the  ancient  Roman  Mo- 
guntiacum — is  a  fortified  town  situated  on  the 
Rhine  in  Hesse-Darmstadt  opposite  Nassau. 
It  was  a  Roman  camp  in  the  time  of  the 
empire,  and  contains  many  remnants  of  the 
occupation  of  the  Consul  Drusus,  who  died 
just  before  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 
St.  Boniface  chose  Mainz  for  his  archiepisco- 
pal  see  about  the  middle  of  the  eighth  century, 
and  ever  since  it  has  been  an  ecclesiastical 
centre  of  great  influence.  Having  taken  rooms 
in  the  hotel  which  we  had  chosen,  we  ram- 
bled about  the  city  until  near  dark.  Some 
kind  of  musical  festival  was  in  progress,  and 
the  streets  had  put  on  a  holiday  appearance. 
Our  first  visit  was  to  the  cathedral,  the  erection 
of  which  was  commenced  in  the  tenth  century. 
It  is  a  venerable  building  witli  imposing  bat- 
tlements and  towers,  and  many  times  popes 
and  emperors  have  passed  under  its  portals 
within  its  walls.  It  has  pews,  like  most  of  the 
German  churches  which  we  entered.  In  some 


380  A    Visit  to  Europe 

churches  of  Europe  chairs— having  kneeling- 
stools — were  so  well  arranged  in  rows  that 
they  answered  all  the  purposes  of  pews.  In 
the  Guttenberg  Place  we  saw  the  statue  of 
Guttenberg,  the  inventor  of  printing,  who  was 
a  native  of  the  city. 

Towards  evening  we  wandered  into  the  sub- 
urbs to  an  eminence  overlooking  the  town 
and  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  Rhine  and 
surrounding  country.  And  when  the  dark 
shadows  of  coming  night  enveloped  the  earth, 
and  the  lights  appeared  in  the  city  and  on 
the  river,  we  conversed  in  lower  tones,  and 
I  at  least  felt  our  solitude,  but  with  a  vivid 
consciousness  that  we  were  near  one  of  the 
great  arteries  of  the  world's  life,  so  near  that 
we  could  feel  a  tremulous  movement  from  its 
pulsation ;  and  so  powerful  was  the  mysterious 
influence  of  the  time  and  place  that,  if  I  had 
my  friends  around  me,  here  would  I  be  con- 
tent to  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  strnnger.\ 

The  next  morning,  which  was  Sunday,  we 
attended  Mass  in  the  cathedral,  preparatory 
to  taking  the  boat  at  nine  o'clock.  At  that 
hour  we*  went  on  board  a  pleasant  Rhine  steam- 
er, which  soon  after  swung  out  into  the  stream. 
The  voyage  before  us  was  the  one  so  much 
praised  by  all  who  have  ever  made  it ;  for  we 


and  the  Holy  Land.  381 

were  about  to  pass  through  the  most  interest- 
ing scenery  of  the  celebrated  river  whose 
mountainous  banks  are  vine-clad  and  castle- 
crowned.  It  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to 
describe  the  towns,  the  castles,  and  places  of 
historic  name,  or  to  recite  the  innumerable 
legends  connected  with  this  romantic  "Para- 
dise of  Germany."  During  the  first  and  last 
part  of  the  journey  the  country  on  either  side 
was  comparatively  level,  but  during  the  great- 
er portion  of  the  voyage  it  presented  a  series 
of  rocky  heights  and  luxuriant  undulations, 
marked  by  the  ruins  of  Roman  occupation, 
and  adorned  with  the  castellated  strongholds 
and  picturesque  towns  of  the  middle  ages./ 
*  The  castle  of  Johannisberg,  on  its  vine-cov- 
ered hill,  founded  as  a  priory  in  the  year  1006, 
appeared  upon  our  right,  and,  after  a  while, 
Bingen  on  our  left,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
fair  valley  of  the  Nahe,  surrounded  by  its 
vineyards,  and  Riidesheim  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  above  which,  on  a  high  slope  of 
the  Niederwald,  the  statue  of  Germania  raised 
its  colossal  form.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and 
our  boat  glided  over  the  waters  of  the  romantic 
stream,  between  its  historic  banks,  with  their 
ever-changing  scenery,  until  it  had  borne  us  in- 
to the  very  midst  of  that  region  where  the  fan- 


382  A    Visit  to  Eziropt 


cies  of  dream -land,  the  fairy  scenes  of  legen- 
dary stories,  and  the  grand  dramas  of  history 
exert  a  mysterious  influence  upon  the  thoughts 
of  men  who  wander  within  their  realms.  The 
appropriate  lines  of  an  English  poet  of  the  last 
century  could  well  be  applied  to  our  summer- 
day  voyage  and  the  scenes  that  we  saw : 

"Twas  morn,  and  beautiful  the  mountain's  brow — 
Hung  with  the  clusters  of  the  bending  vine — 
Shone  in  the  early  light,  when  on  the  Rhine 

We  sailed  and  heard  the  waters  round  the  prow 

In  murmurs  parting;  varying  as  we  go, 
Rocks  after  rocks  come  forward  and  retire, 
As  some  gray  convent  wall  or  sunlit  spire 

Starts  up  along  the  banks,  unfolding  slow. 

Here  castles,'  like  the  prisons  of  despair, 
Frown  as  we  pass  ! — there,  on  the  vineyard's  side, 
The  bursting  sunshine  pours  its  streaming  tide; 

While  grief,  forgetful  amid  scenes  so  fair, 
Counts  not  the  hours  of  a  long  summer's  day, 
Nor  heeds  how  fast  the  prospect  winds  away."  / 

Among  the  many  places  that  attracted  our 
attention,  either  in  themselves  or  because  we 
already  had  some  knowledge  of  their  legends 
and  history,  I  will  only  mention  a  few :  Son- 
neck  castle ;  Lorch,  one  of  the  oldest  of  the 
Rhenish  towns,  at  the  entrance  of  a  beautiful 
valley  rich  in  fairy  legends ;  Bacharach,  which 


and  the  Holy  Land.  383 

derives  its  name  from  a  rock  ill,  the  river 
called  the  "Bacchi-Ara"—  altar  of  Bacchus; 
Caub,  with  a  palatine  castle  in  the  centre  of 
the  stream,  and  the  castle  of  Gutenfels  above 
the  town  ;  the  castle  of  Rheinstein ;  the  pleas- 
antly situated  town  of  Oberwesel  and  Schon- 
berg  castle ;  the  rugged  and  steep  Loreley 
rock,  where  the  Siren  sits  with  the  golden 
harp,  and  which  returns  fifteen  echoes  and 
has  a  legend  connected  with  it — which  last  is 
also  true  of  the  rocks  a  little  higher  up  the 
river  in  mid  channel  and  called  the  Seven 
Sisters ;  Stolzenfels,  a  fine  castle  of  the  Middle 
Ages ;  St.  Goar  arid  the  Rheinfels,  a  strong 
robber  castle  of  the  thirteenth  century ;  the 
castles  called  the  "Cat"  and  the  "Mouse"; 
Lalmeck  castle,  built  in  the  year  900 ;  the 
Brothers,  Sternberg  and  Liebenstein,  the  sub- 
ject of  a  legend ;  the  fine  old  castles  of 
Braubach  and  Marksburg ;  the  city  of  Cob- 
lence,  the  Roman  Confluentia,  where  the  Em- 
peror Caligula  was  born,  and  which  possesses 
the  church  of  St.  Castor,  easily  recognized 
by  its  four  towers,  and  built  in  the  year 
836 ;  the  White  Tower,  where  Julius  Caesar 
crossed  the  Rhine  on  a  bridge  described  in 
his  Commentaries;  the  fine  modern,  Gothic 
Apollinaris  church,  built  by  the  renowned 


384  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Zwirner,  the  restorer  of  the  cathedral  of 
Cologne;  Roland's  rock,  the  beautiful  island 
of  Nonnenwerth,  and  "the  castled  crag  of 
Drachenfels,"  the  most  celebrated  of  the 
Seven  Mountains,  where  the  dragon  was  slain 
by  the  hero  Siegfried  of  the  old  German  epic 
poem,  Nibelungenlied ;  and,  not  far  distant 
across  the  river,  G-odesberg  with  its  stately 
old  castle  on  the  hill.  / 

We  left  the  grander  region  of  the  Rhine 
when  we  passed  the  university  city  of  Bonn 
—the  Roman  Bonna — which  ancient  town  is 
said  to  have  embraced  Christianity  within  the 
first  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and  which 
contains  a  minster  built  by  the  Empress  St. 
Helena,  which  was  founded  by  her  in  the 
year  320.  In  a  short  time  the  glorious  spires 
of  the  cathedral  of  Cologne  appeared  in  the 
distance.  No  one  who  has  seen  their  picture 
could  mistake  the  edifice  to  which  they  be- 
long. Like  the  cathedral  of  Milan,  that  of 
Cologne  is  familiar  to  the  eyes  of  the  civil- 
ized world.  In  half  an  hour  our  boat  had 
reached  its  landing,  and  we  took  a  conveyance 
to  a  hotel  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
cathedral.  \ 

Cologne  was  founded  by  the  Roman  Em- 
peror Claudius-,  A.D.  51,  and  named  Colonia 


and  the  Holy  Land.  385 

Agrippina  in  honor  of  his  wife,  Agrippina, 
who  was  born  in  Cologne  when4  it  was  a 
Roman  camp,  and  who  was  the  daughter  of 
Germanicus,  and  sister  of  Caligula,  and  the 
mother  of  Nero.  It  is  claimed  that  even  to 
this  day  many  of  the  citizens  of  Cologne  have 
much  of  the  old  Roman  blood  coursing 
through  their  veins,  and  some  pretend  to  see 
in  their  features  and  complexions  traces  of 
their  Roman  descent.  I  went  to  Cologne  to 
see  the  cathedral,  and  whenever  I  left  the 
hotel  I  directed  my  steps  thitherward,  and 
spent  nearly  all  my  time  in  and  around  it. 
There  are  other  grand  old  churches  in  Cologne, 
but  I  did  not  visit  them,  for  I  wanted  to  leave 
the  city  with  one  lasting  impression  on  my 
memory.  As  soon  as  we  had  arranged  matters 
at  the  hotel  and  our  baggage  had  arrived  we 
went  to  the  cathedral.  The  first  Christian 
church  was  established  here  during  the  time 
of  the  Roman  occupation,  but  the  old  cathe- 
dral was  founded  early  in  the  ninlh  century 
on  the  site  of  the  ancient  citadel.  The  present 
edifice  was  begun  about  the  middle  of  the  thir- 
teenth century ;  it  is  dedicated  to  St.  Peter, 
and  is  frequently  called  St.  Peter's  of  the 
North.  It  is  often  styled  the  u  queen  of  ca- 
thedrals and  the  pearl  of  Gothic  churches," 


386  A    Visit  to  Europe 


which  designation  is  altogether  fitting.  When 
we  entered  the  church  the  people  were  begin- 
ning to  assemble  for  afternoon  services.  We 
had  time,  before  they  commenced,  to  walk 
through  the  different  parts  of  the  vast  edifice, 
and  then  went  outside  to  get  a  look  at  its  ex- 
ternal proportions  and  beauty.  When  we  re- 
entered  we  found  that  a  large  audience  was 
listening  to  a  sermon  which  was  delivered  with 
much  spirit  and  animation. \ 

When  the  sermon  was  ended  many  left  the 
church,  while  the  larger  number  removed  to 
another  part  of  the  church  where  Benediction 
of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament  was  to  be  given. 
The  music,  as  near  as  I  can  remember,  was 
first  a  beautiful  solo  by  a  female  voice,  which 
under  the  circumstances  I  never  like — or  it 
may  have  been  a  piece  by  a  select  choir  with 
that  one  voice  chiefly  prominent — and  after- 
wards singing  by  the  whole  congregation, 
which  I  always  like.  When  Benediction  was 
over  I  had  more  liberty  to  walk  through  the 
church  and  admire  its  exquisite  architecture. 
It  springs  up  from  the  strong  foundations  of 
faith  on  which  it  was  begun  into  the  ten 
thousand  enduring  graces  and  beauties  of  love 
and  devotion  in  which  it  abounds,  on  the  in- 
side of  its  sacred  walls  catching  the  prismatic 


and  the  Holy  Land.  387 

colors  of  heaven,  and  on  the  outside,  on  its 
flying  buttresses  and  forests  of  pinnacles  and 
traceries,  and  on  its  spires  reaching  towards 
the  sky,  the  golden  sunlight  of  God's  counte- 
nance. I  went  outside  and  walked  around  it 
different  times,  often  standing  for  a  while  to 
see  it  more  perfectly,  and  delighted  with  every 
point  of  view.  For  several  hours  I  looked 
on  the  interior  and  exterior  of  this  marvellous 
creation  of  genius  and  religion,  which  ravishes 
the  eye  but  far  more  expands  the  soul,  and 
admired  ;  but  how  in  so  short  a  time  could 
I  properly  appreciate  Cologne's  cathedral? 

It  contains  the  entire  relics — bones  and  skulls 
—of  the  three  Wise  Men  from  the  East  who 
can^e  to  Bethlehem  to  adore  the  Infant  Sa- 
viour, whose  names  are  handed  down  by  tradi- 
tion as  Melchior,  Caspar,  and  Balthasar.  These 
relics  formerly  belonged  to  the  cathedral  of 
Milan,  but  were  transferred  to  her  Gothic  sis- 
ter by  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa.x 


388  A    Visit  to  Europe 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FROM  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  RHINE  TO  BELGIUM'S 
AND  HOLLAND'S  CAPITALS. 

THE  next  morning  we  took  the  train  for 
Brussels,  intending  to  break  our  journey  for 
a  few*  hours  at  Aix- la-Chapel le.  The  part  of 
the  country  through  which  we  iirst  passed 
was  flat  and  level,  but  fertile  and  well  culti- 
vated. In  less  than  two  hours  we  had  arrived 
at  the  last-named  city,  and  alighted  from  the 
train  to  spend  a  brief  and  pleasant  time  in 
that  interesting  town  where  Charlemagne  fixed 
his  residence,  where  he  was  buried,  and  which 
he  made  second  city  of  his  empire. \ 

We  decided  to  walk  leisurely  through  the 
streets  of  this  historic  old  place  on  our  way 
to  the  cathedral,  which  was  the  principal  ob- 
ject of  our  visit.  A  church  comparatively 
new,  built  in  the  Gothic  style,  attracted  our  at- 
tention and  we  entered.  It  was  a  real  modern 
gem  of  architectural  beauty.  When  we  reached 
the  cathedral  Mass  was  being  offered,  and  a 
large  number  of  worshippers  were  present.  Af- 
ter Mass  was  finished  we  found  ourselves  at 
full  liberty  to  go  through  the  many  different 


and  the  Holy  Land.  389 

parts  of  the  church,  which  is  filled  with  relics 
and  antiquities.  It  was  built  by  Charlemagne, 
and  was  consecrated  in  the  year  804  by  Pope 
St.  Leo  III.,  who  came  all  the  way  from  Rome 
for  the  occasion.  There  were  present  at  the 
ceremony  many  princes  and  cardinals  and 
three  hundred  and  sixty-three  bishops.  Thirty- 
seven  emperors  and  eleven  empresses  have  been 
crowned  within  its  walls.  It  possesses  many 
remarkable  relics,  presented  to  Charlemagne 
by  different  kings  and  pontiffs.  Among  them 
are  the  dress  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the 
swaddling-clothes  of  the  Infant  Jesus  in  Beth- 
lehem, the  cloth  which  encircled  the  loins  of 
our  Lord  on  the  cross,  the  cloth  which  en- 
veloped the  head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  af- 
ter his  death,  the  cincture  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, the  leathern  belt  of  our  Lord,  a  piece  of 
the  cord  with  which  the  hands  of  our  Lord 
were  bound  during  His  Passion,  a  portion  of 
the  sponge  that  was  dipped  in  vinegar  and 
gall  and  presented  to  Him,  a  rib  of  St.  Ste- 
phen, and  many  other  relics  of  great  import- 
ance. A  few  of  the  greatest  are  exposed  pub- 
licly only  once  in  seven  years.  We  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  treasury  and  were  permitted  to 
venerate  its  sacred  treasures,  whether  all  of 
them — there  are  so  many — I  cannot  well  re- 


390  A    Visit  to  Europe 

member.  They  are  kept  in  strong  iron  safes 
— which  were  opened  for  us — and  many  of 
them  are  preserved  in  costly  reliquaries.  We 
also  saw  the  throne  of  Charlemagne,  and  his 
empty  sarcophagus,  in  which,  long  before  his 
time,  one  of  the  greatest  Roman  emperors  had 
likewise  been  buried.  The  other  historical  ob- 
jects which  were  pointed  out  to  us  were  so 
many  that,  although  interesting  in  themselves, 
their  list  would  be  long  and  tedious.  / 

In  due  time  we  took  the  train  for  Brus- 
sels. It  was  not  long  before  we  passed  out 
of  German  territory  into  Belgium.  Our  first 
experience  of  the  Belgian  land  was  most  agree- 
able, for  we  were  traversing  the  most  pic- 
turesque region  which  that  country  affords. 
Our  road  ran  through  a  continual  succession 
of  beautiful  valleys,  crossing  and  recrossing 
the  charming  river  Vesdre,  past  delightful  vil- 
lages under  the  protecting  shelter  of  rugged 
and  well-wooded  hills ;  and  the  green,  well- 
watered  pastures,  adjoining  luxuriant  meadows, 
were  stocked  with  plentiful  herds  of  sleek, 
noble-looking  cattle.  Every  farm  seemed  to  be 
a  perfect  rural  picture  in  itself,  on  the  banks 
of  the  rushing  river,  adorned  with  trees,  where 
the  eye  could  rest  on  pleasant,  comfortable 
farm  houses  and  nestling  villages,  and  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  391 

landscape    encircled  by  a  rustic    frame   of  ro- 
mantic hills.v 

After  more  than  an  hour  we  passed  through 
Liege,  the  industrious  capital  of  the  Walloon 
district.  The  Walloons  are  of  Celtic  race,  and 
have  ever  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  a 
hardy,  hard-working,  and  brave  people.  Their 
Flemish  fellow-countrymen  on  the  west  in 
Brabant,  of  which  Brussels  is  the  centre,  and 
in  other  provinces,  are  of  Germanic  origin, 
and  in  the  whole  country  are  in  a  small 
majority  over  their  Walloon  compatriots.  The 
remainder  of  the  journey  to  Brussels  was  at 
first  through  a  district  of  industrial  activity, 
and  for  two  hours  afterwards  through  a  level, 
well-cultivated  country,  passing  on  our  way 
the  university  town  of  Louvain.  In  Rome  and 
southern  Italy  high  silk  hats  are  extremely 
rare.  As  one  goes  farther  north  they  become 
more  frequent,  and  in  France  and  England, 
especially  in  Paris  and  London,  they  are  the 
stylish  hats  ;  but  Belgium  and  Holland  seem 
to  be  their  own  country,  and  they  are  seen 
everywhere  on  the  heads  of  two- thirds  of  all 
well-dressed  gentlemen.  In  our  compartment 
besides  ourselves  were  five  gentlemen,  of  whom 
four  wore  high  silk  hats,  and  the  other  one 
looked  lonesome.  Oar  fellow-travellers  were 


392  A    Visit  to  Europe 

speaking  a  language  which,  to  us  was  alto- 
gether strange ;  whether  it  was  Walloon  or 
Flemish  I  am  unable  to  decide  ;  and  the  printed 
words  that  we  saw,  often  occupying  places  of 
prominence,  were  a  wonder  to  the  eye,  and, 
when  spoken,  a  mystery  to  the  ear.  ( 

About  four  o'clock  we  reached  the  Station 
du  Nord,  and  for  our  sojourn  we  chose  the 
Grand  Hotel  Gernay,  because  it  was  near  the 
station  where  we  arrived  and  from  which  we 
would  take  our  departure.  Brussels  dates 
back  to  the  eighth  century,  when  it  was  a 
town  of  but  little  importance.  At  the  pre- 
sent time,  including  its  extensive  suburbs,  its 
population  is  nearly  400,000,  but  the  city 
proper  does  not  contain  half  that  number  of 
inhabitants.  It  is  a  finely  built  city,  with 
many  wide  and  splendid  streets,  and  is  often 
called  "Paris  in  miniature,"  which  city  it 
pretends  to  rival,  but  with  the  magnificence 
of  which  it  can  never  hope  to  compare.  We 
strolled  through  the  streets  during  the  re 
mainder  of  the  afternoon  and  early  evening ; 
and  on  the  following  day  we  visited  those 
parts  of  the  city  that  might  prove  to  be  of 
special  interest. v 

The     cathedral     of     St.     Gudule     and     St. 
Michael  is  a  grand  Gothic  building,    354  feet 


and  the  Holy  Land.  393 

long  by  165  feet  wide.  It  was  built  in  the 
thirteenth  century  on  the  site  of  a  former 
church  erected  in  the  eleventh  century.  It 
contains  some  of  the  finest  painted  windows 
in  Europe,  and  its  pulpit  is  considered  one  of 
the  great  masterpieces  of  carving,  representing 
the  expulsion  of  Adam  and  Eve  from  the 
Garden  of  Eden,  and  the  redemption  of 
Christ.  St.  Gudule,  to  whom  the  cathedral 
is  dedicated,  is  patroness  of  Brussels.  The 
Gothic  structure  called  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  or 
city  hall,  is  also  a  noble  edifice,  which  was 
begun  at  the  opening  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  Place  in  front  is  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  picturesque  mediaeval 
squares  in  existence.  On  our  way  to  the  ca- 
thedral of  St.  Gudule  we  saw  a  hearse  stand- 
ing in  front  of  a  church,  and  we  knew  that 
a  funeral  was  being  solemnized.  We  entered, 
and  saw  at  least  one  ceremony  that  we  had 
never  before  seen :  a  large  number  of  men 
were  advancing  to  the  altar,  and  in  turn 
kissed  the  paten  held  by  the  celebrant.  At 
the  time  we  did  not  know  the  meaning  of 
the  custom,  but  afterwards  a  Belgian  priest 
in  America  explained  to  me  its  significance, 
which  is  by  no  means  inappropriate.  We 
visited  the  cathedral  more  than  once,  and 


394  ^    Visit  to  Europe 


admired  the  many  works  of  art  with  which  it 
is  enriched.  Chairs  with  kneeling-stools  were 
well  arranged  for  worshippers,  many  of  which 
were  finely  cushioned.  We  received  many  in- 
vitations from  agents  to  visit  manufactories 
of  the  celebrated  Brussels  lace,  none  of  which 
I  accepted.  In  all  Belgium  about  130,000 
women  are  employed  in  this  industry.  Across 
the  street  from  St.  Gudule's  I  entered  a 
church-goods  store,  attracted  by  a  picture  of 
Louise  Lateau.  I  found  the  proprietor  very 
polite,  and,  although  he  knew  that  I  did  not 
intend  to  buy,  he  showed  me  many  rich,  hand- 
worked vestments  of  correct  ecclesiastical 
style.  He  also  showed  me  many  orders  for 
his  goods  from  America,  and  I  learned  that 
he  was  president  of  a  society  for  the  produc- 
tion of  all  kinds  of  church  goods  according 
to  strict  rubrical  patterns.  We  wandered 
through  the  boulevards  and  parks  in  a  leis- 
urely manner,  and  entered  the  churches,  and 
saw  all  we  could  see  of  the  life  and  habits 
of  the  people.  In  some  of  the  older  parts  of 
the  city,  where  the  people  retain  their  old 
Flemish  customs,  these  walks  were  specially 
interesting.  One  of  my  companions  went  out 
of  town  to  see  the  battle-field  of  Waterloo. 
It  had  been  our  intention  to  return  to  Paris 


and  the  Holy  Land,  395 

and  visit  Lourdes.  But  as  our  time  was  lim- 
ited, and  as  the  cholera  was  raging  in  a 
portion  of  southern  France,  and  the  conse- 
quent excitement  was  extending  throughout 
the  country,  we  feared  that  we  might  be 
somewhere  delayed  by  an  unexpected  quaran- 
tine, and  therefore  reluctantly  abandoned  our 
journey  to  that  celebrated  shrine  of  Our 
Blessed  Lady.\ 

The  next  morning  we  took  the  train  for 
Rotterdam,  in  Holland.  The  first  and  last 
part  of  the  journey  was  through  an  interest- 
ing country.  In  a  short  time  we  reached 
Mechlin,  or  Malines,  an  archiepiscopal  see, 
and  within  an  hour  Antwerp  came  in  sight, 
which  is  the  principal  seaport  town  of  Bel- 
gium, and  one  of  the  strongest  fortresses  on 
the  Continent.  It  was  founded  in  the  seventh 
century,  and  at  one  time  was  considered  the 
wealthiest  city  in  Europe.  The  high  tower  of 
its  famous  cathedral  rose  in  the  distance, 
which  is  the  largest  and  is  considered  the 
finest  Gothic  church  in  the  Netherlands,  and 
is  enriched  with  the  masterpieces  of  Rubens 
and  others  of  the  Antwerpian  school  of  art- 
ists. We  saw  some  Belgian  priests  leaving 
the  train,  who  were  the  last  of  the  priests  of 
Europe  whom  we  saw  dressed  in  the  full 
clerical  habit :  cassock,  cincture,  clerical  hat, 


396  A    Visit  to  Europe 

and  mantle.  This  is  the  dress,  with  some 
slight  variations,  of  all  clergymen  in  Italy, 
France  and  Belgium,  and  most  other  Catholic 
countries  of  Europe.  Why  it  is  not  worn  in 
some  other  countries  which  we  visited,  which 
in  every  sense  are  Catholic,  I  do  not  pretend 
to  understand.\ 

Leaving  Antwerp  we  passed  over  the  moor- 
lands of  northern  Belgium  and  southern  Hol- 
land. Our  baggage  had  to  suffer  an  exami- 
nation by  the  Dutch  custom-house  officials  at 
Roosendaal,  which  is  a  few  miles  inside  the 
limits  of  Dutch  territory.  When  we  passed 
over  an  arm  of  the  sea,  called  Hollandsch 
Diep,  on  a  bridge  which  cost  more  than  two 
million  dollars  and  is  one  and  five-eighths  of 
a  mile  long,  we  began  to  realize  that  we  were 
indeed  in  the  Low  Countries.  We  passed  the 
city  of  Dort,  and  over  another  bridge,  the 
scenery  becoming  more  and  more  characteris- 
tic of  Holland.  Almost  continually  before  our 
eyes  was  some  scene  that  would  have  an- 
swered admirably  for  a  Dutch  landscape  in 
painting:  a  low,  flat  plain,  intersected  by 
canals  with  trees  on  their  borders,  farm -houses 
with  quaint  gables,  and  numerous  wind-mills, 
some  standing  still  and  others  waving  their 
]ong,  gigantic  arms.\ 

About  noon  we  arrived  in  Rotterdam.    Hav- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  397 

irig  secured  rooms  at  the  Hotel  Weimar,  and  as 
we  should  have  all  the  following  day  to  remain 
in  Rotterdam,  we  determined  to  take  the  next 
train,  at  about  two  o'clock,  to  make  an  af- 
ternoon visit  to  The  Hague,  which  is  not  quite 
fifteen  miles  distant.  The  name  of  the  rail- 
road is  "  Hollandsche  Spoorweg."  The  coun- 
try is  the  same  flat  expanse  everywhere.  The 
canals  take  the  place  of  roads,  fences,  and 
hedges  in  other  lands.;  and  it  was  a  peculiar 
sight  to  see  the  masts  and  sails  of  a  vessel 
rising  in  the  midst  of  fields  and  farms.  Two 
rather  important  towns,  of  a  little  more  than 
20,000  population  each,  are  on  the  line  between 
the  two  larger  cities ;  they  are  Schiedam  and 
Delft,  the  former  boasting  of  230  distilleries, 
which  manufacture  the  famous  ''Hollands,"  or 
"Schiedam  schnapps,"  and  the  latter  was  cele- 
brated in  former  times  for  its  pottery  and 
porcelain  works,  and  is  a  pleasant  town,  one- 
tjiird  of  whose  population  is  Catholic.  / 

We  soon  alighted  from  the  train  at  The 
Hague,  which  is  the  capital  of  Holland  and 
residence  of  the  king.  It  is  a  city  of  123,000 
inhabitants,  one  third  of  whom  are  Catholics. 
Although  Holland  is  a  Protestant  country,  two- 
fifths  of  its  people  are  Catholics,  a  fact  which 
a  large  number  of  writers,  when  they  have 


398  A    Visit  to  Europe 

spoken  of  Protestant  Holland,  probably  never 
mistrusted.  The  Hague  is  considered  the  finest 
city  of  Holland,  having  broad  streets,  spacious 
squares  and  parks,  and  substantial  and  im- 
posing edifices. 

I  was  agreeably  surprised  at  one  thing  in 
Holland — that  such  a  large  number  of  the 
people  have  remained  so  old-fashioned.  In 
many  other  parts  of  Europe  1  was  very  much 
disappointed  in  this  regard,  but  in  Holland 
I  could  not  complain  at  least  of  the  female 
attire.  Their  costumes,  head-dresses,  and  orna- 
ments were  very  attractive  to  one  like  me, 
whose  poetic  fancy  revels  in  the  romantic  days 
and  scenes  of  long  ago./ 

The  following  day  was  spent  in  Rotterdam, 
a  town  of  157,000  population — one-sixth  of 
which  is  Catholic — and  the  second  city  of  the 
kingdom.  It  is  intersected  in  every  direction 
by  canals,  which  are  spanned  by  numerous 
draw-bridges.  In  Rotterdam  I  never  succeeded 
in  getting  any  idea  of  the  cardinal  points, 
and  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  I  did  not  think 
that  north  was  south  and  east  was  west. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  started  out  to  see 
the  "sights,"  which  include  the  whole  town 
rather  than  anything  in  particular.  The 
houses  are  often  four,  five,  and  six  stories 


and  the  Holy  Land.  399 

high,  and  are  usually  very  much  out  of  the 
perpendicular.  One  might  easily  imagine  that 
he  had  discovered  a  city  of  leaning  towers, 
which  had  been  built  only,  one- third  their  in- 
tended height  when  work  on  them  had  been 
stopped  through  fear  that  they  might  topple 
over ;  or  he  might  suppose  that  an  earthquake 
had  shaken  the  city,  and  had  skilfully  twisted 
it  out  of  shape,  but  in  every  part  had  left  it 
standing.  This  peculiarity  is  due  to  the  soft, 
swampy  nature  of  the  ground,  which  prevents 
a  firm  foundation./ 

I  crossed  over  bridges  and  wandered  through 
shady  streets  which  run  by  the  side  of  the 
great  water  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  which 
are  able  to  float  the  largest  East-Indiamen.  I 
strolled  down  the  broad,  busy  quay  called  the 
Boompjes,  where  the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 
pany's house  was  located,  but  which  is  now 
turned  into  colonial  warehouses,  and  imagined 
that  I  saw  its  daily  scenes  in  the  time  of 
Holland's  commercial  greatness,  when  so  many 
Hollanders  acquired  those  fortunes  which  have 
left  their  results  to  the  present  generation,  and 
which  have  made  their  impress  on  the  man- 
ners and  appearance  of  the  moneyed  aristo- 
cracy of  Holland  of  the  present  day.  After  in- 
quiry I  found  my  way  to  one  of  the  Catholic 


4oo  A    Visit  to  Europe 

churches,  which  possessed  a  number  of  paint- 
ings of  some  merit.  As  preparations  were  be- 
ing made  for  Mass,  I  waited.  For  a  week- 
day there  was  a  generous  attendance,  and  I 
noticed  that  there  were  present  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  of  the  more  comfortable  classes, 
judging  from  their  dress  and  respectable  ap- 
pearance. They  nearly  all  carried  in  their 
hands  on  entering  the  church  the  ever-pop- 
ular high  silk  hat.  A  very  respectable-ap- 
pearing, portly  gentleman,  past  the  middle  age, 
entered  the  pew  where  I  was  kneeling.  He 
proceeded  to  unlock  a  drawer  under  the  pew 
in  front,  taking  from  it  his  prayer-book  and 
two  very  soft  kneeling- cushions,  one  of  which 
he  offered  to  me.  This  drew  my  attention  to 
the  fact  that  nearly  every  pew  was  supplied 
with  the  same  convenience,  which — let  alone 
the  cushions — seemed  to  me  to  be  a  very  use- 
ful contrivance ;  nor  could  I  help  admire  the 
old  gentleman's  sincere  politeness./ 

After  Mass  I  again  wandered  leisurely 
through  the  streets,  enjoying  the  people  and 
houses,  and  in  a  little  while  met  one  of  my 
companions  ;  we  were  both  beginning  to  get 
lonesome,  and  were  glad  to  continue  our  ram- 
bles together.  In  Holland,  August  is  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  months  of  the  year,  and 


and  the  Holy  Land.  401 

the  day  was  a  brief  interval  of  sunshiny  ex- 
istence. We  entered  one  other  church,  which 
appeared  to  belong  to  the  Jesuits,  where  .a 
priest  was  instructing  a  class  in  catechism. 
Several  times  we  passed  through  the  square 
in  which  stands  the  bronze  statue  of  the 
erudite  and  distinguished  Erasmus  of  Rotter- 
dam. As  we  had  sufficient  free  time,  I  had 
once  thought  of  visiting  the  museum,  which 
contains  some  good  paintings  by  eminent 
Dutch  artists ;  but  I  finally  concluded  to  let 
the  visit  go,  on  account  of  my  usual  rea- 
son, that  I  preferred  the  living  scenes  around 
me  in  a  strange  land.  At  the  hotel  I  found 
a  description  of  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
museum,  which  was  supposed  to  have  been 
written  in  our  mother  tongue,  and  was  the 
most  ridiculous  and  amusing  specimen  of 
English  that  I  remember  ever  to  have  read ; 
yet  it  was  meant  in  all  earnestness  to  be  a 
very  brilliant  production.  / 


402  A    Visit  to  Europe 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

RETURN  TO   ENGLAND,  AND  A   TRIP   TO   SCOTLAND. 

/  TOWARDS  evening  we  went  aboard  the 
steamer  for  Harwich,  where  we  should  con- 
nect with  the  train  for  London.  We  sailed 
down  the  wide  river,  meeting  and  passing 
many  vessels  of  diiferent  kinds  which  were 
hurrying,  by  quick  stroke  of  wheel  or  under 
full  sail,  towards  their  various  destinations. 
When  the  day  began  to  show  signs  that  its 
departure  was  near,  the  broad  waters  of 
the  North  Sea  spread  out  before  us,  and  as 
we  floated  out  upon  their  bosom,  the  low 
lines  of  the  Holland  coast  gradually  receded 
from  our  sight.  And  when  they  seemed  sub- 
merged beneath  the  wave,  the  giant  windmills 
swung  their  huge  arms,  as  if  waving  an  adieu 
to  the  wliite- winged  ships  and  smoky  steamers 
leaving  their  shores ;  and  we,  turning  our 
faces  towards  the  land,  bid  farewell  to  the 
Continent  of  Europe./ 

The  next  morning,  soon  after  we,  had  risen, 
our  steamer  entered  the  beautiful  harbor  of 
Harwich,  which  indents  the  eastern  shore  of 
England,  and  whose  calm  surface  shone  in  the 


and  the  Holy  Land.  403 

morning  sun  like  a  sea  of  crystal,  bearing  on 
its  waveless  waters  a  large  number  of  vessels 
at  anchor.  The  extensive  shipping  which  some 
of  those  small,  sea-girt  countries  possess  is 
something  wonderful.  It  seemed  strange  and 
pleasant  to  hear  once  more  the  English  lan- 
guage spoken  everywhere  around  us./ 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  railway  train 
moved  out  of  the  station  for  London.  We 
passed  from  corner  to  corner  through  the  fer- 
tile county  of  Essex,  whose  farms  are  classed 
among  the  best  in  England.  The  morning  was 
foggy,  but  it  did  not  prevent  a  partial  view 
of  the  clumps  of  magnificent  trees,  green 
hedges,  grassy  fields,  herds  of  fine  cattle,  and 
comfortable  farm-houses,  which  form  such 
striking  features  of  the  rural  districts  of  Eng- 
land. It  was  yet  morning  when  we  arrived 
in  London.  We  directed  our  driver  to  convey 
us  to  the  neighborhood  of  Charing  Cross, 
where  we  engaged  rooms  at  the  hotel  of  the 
Golden  Cross.  On  account  of  language  and  fa- 
miliar objects  on  the  streets,  before  the  bustle 
of  the  day  began  we  felt  a  kind  of  feeling  of 
"home  again,"  which  was  qiiickly  dispelled 
when  we  left  the  vicinity  of  the  Strand  and 
the  streets  which  are  a  continuation  of  it  on 
either  end.  During  the  day  we  visited  some 


404  A    Visit  to  Europe 

other  parts  of  the  city,  especially  Kensington, 
but  the  most  of  our  time  was  spent  in 
the  district  between  Charing  Cross  and  St. 
Paul's.  In  the  afternoon  we  took  a  ride  on 
the  Thames  from  London  Bridge  to  Battersea 
and  return,  in  order  to  see  the  city  from  the 
river.  It  would  be  a  useless  task  to  attempt 
to  describe  what  we  saw  in  London,  but  our 
second  visit  was  spent  in  quietly  observing 
the  people  and  characteristics  of  the  city,  in 
such  a  manner  that  some  particular  impres- 
sion might  be  left  in  the  mind,  rather  than 
have  it  filled  with  a  confused  mass  of  many 
things  seen  and  only  half-remembered.  / 

The  following  day  one  of  my  companions 
and  myself  determined  to  make  a  visit  to 
Oxford,  although  we  should  have  only  two 
hours  to  remain  in  that  old  university  town. 
Our  companion  preferred  to  remain  in  the 
city,  as  he  wished  to  see  the  inside  of  the 
Tower  of  London,  which  we  often  saw  in  the 
distance,  but  had  not  visited.  The  journey  to 
Oxford  was  a  pleasant  one.  occasionally  reveal- 
ing  choice  views  of  English  country  scenery. 
In  about  two  hours  the  spires  of  Oxford 
came  in  sight./ 

The  university  was  founded  by  King  Alfred 
the  Great  in  the  year  872,  and  has  already 


and  the  Holy  Land.  405 

celebrated  its  millennial  anniversary.  In  the 
Middle  Ages  it  was  sometimes  attended  by 
as  many  as  thirty  thousand  students.  At  the 
present  time  it  consists  of  twenty  colleges, 
with  an  attendance  of  about  two  thousand. 
We  told  the  driver  to  drive  to  every  college 
in  the  city,  although  we  did  not  enter  them, 
but  when  he  came  to  each  he  told  us  its 
name.  These  ancient  piles  of  masonry,  with 
their  fine  old  towers,  and  niches,  and  statues 
of  mediaeval  bishops,  in  many  respects  have 
a  Catholic  appearance  on  the  outside,  and 
one  could  readily  imagine  that  he  is  in  a 
venerable  Catholic  city  of  an  old  Catholic 
land.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  great  tradi- 
tions of  the  past  should  sometimes  exert  their 
influence  on  the  minds  of  the  students  and 
professors  within  these  college  walls  ;  it  is 
stranger  that  the  spirits  of  the  old  abbots 
and  bishops  who  made  Oxford  illustrious  do 
not  move  before  the  astonished  eyes  of  the 
modern  occupants  of  their  ancient  founda- 
tions, and  demand  their  own  again.  It  is 
stranger  how  men  can  resist  that  appeal  to 
return  to  the  bosom  and  life  of  the  Church 
which  every  stone  in  each  gray  edifice,  and 
every  memory  of  Oxford's  glorious  days,  and 
every  noble  spirit  of  her  saintly  sons,  is  con- 


406  A    Visit  to  Europe 

stantly  making.  The  very  stones  in  her  walls 
cry  out,  Return !  and  a  hundred  thousand 
souls,  for  ever  dear  to  God,  make  intercession 
with  Him  that  Oxford  may  find  the  old  paths 
from  which  she  lias  strayed.  I  am  glad  that 
I  did  not  enter  any  of  those  ancient  cloisters 
of  devotion  and  learning,  to  sadden  my  soul 
with  the  sight  of  " desolation  standing  in  the 
holy  place." 

We  returned  to  the  station  in  time  to  take 
the  one  o'clock  train  back  to  London.  After 
some  distance  the  line  diverged  from  the  one 
on  which  we  came,  and  thus  we  enjoyed  the 
pleasure  of  another  route.  We  passed  in 
sight  of  Windsor  Castle,  the  principal  resi- 
dence of  the  kings  and  queens  of  England. 
It  covers  twelve  acres  of  ground,  and  from 
the  railway  presents  a  majestic  appearance. 
The  present  edifice  was  founded  by  William 
the  Conqueror,  but  Windsor  was  the  residence 
of  the  old  Saxon  kings.  Across  the  Thames 
is  the  town  of  Eton,  chiefly  noted  for  its 
college./ 

We  had  decided  to  take  each  his  own  course, 
during  the  coming  days,  until  Monday  even- 
ing, when  we  would  meet  in  Liverpool.  My 
route  lay  to  the  north,  for  I  had  determined 
to  see  York,  with  its  old  cathedral,  and  to 


and  the  Holy  Land.  407 

climb  the  hills  of  Edinburgh.     The  train  which 
I  took  left  London  soon  after  five   o'clock. 

For  several  hours  the  journey  led  through 
a  fine  agricultural  region,  mostly  set  apart 
for  pastures  and  meadows.  My  heart  is  de- 
lighted more  than  my  eyes  with  the  quiet 
scenes  of  the  country  in  a  tastefully-kept  and 
well-cultivated  land.  Even  the  uneducated, 
but,  in  this  matter,  not  altogether  uncultivated 
human  heart  possesses  many  of  the  feelings 
of  nature's  artist,  by  which  the  green  fields, 
the  sunny  dales,  the  sheltering  trees,  the 
greensward  on  the  sloping  hills,  the  curling- 
smoke  rising  from  the  hearth-fires  of  faithful 
neighbors,  seen  in  the  innocent  days  of 
youtb,  in  the  stronger  and  deeper  life  of 
manhood,  and  in  the  declining  years  of  old 
age,  are  the  sources  of  a  purer  and  more 
exquisite  joy  than  anything  else  on  earth, 
next  to  the  unselfish  love  of  friends  and 
family  and  the  consolations  of  religion.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  in  Europe  and  the  British 
Isles  I  did  not  see  in  the  fields  many  reap- 
ing or  harvesting  machines.  They  serve  to 
advantage  in  America,  where  laborers  •  are 
scarcer,  but  in  Europe  every  such  machine 
takes  the  bread  from  the  mouths  of  the  hungry 
poor ;  and  I  will  go  farther  and  state  my 


408  A    Visit  to  Europe 

belief  that  it  becomes  another  instrument  of 
tyranny  in  the  hands  of  the  rich  for  the 
oppression  of  the  poor.  We  passed  through 
many  busy  towns,  among  them  the  old 
episcopal  cities  of  Peterborough  and  Lincoln. 
The  former  possesses  a  fine  cathedral  church  of 
early  English  and  Norman  architecture,  with 
three  broad,  lofty  arches  in  a  row  over  its 
front  entrance,  and  which  was  founded  in  the 
year  655,  but  was  afterwards  destroyed  and  re- 
built. The  Lincoln  cathedral  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  England,  and  was  built  in  the  eleventh 
century,  and  rebuilt  in  the  following  century, 
and  was  consecrated  to  the  Mother  of  God 
in  those  ages  when  England  bore  the  sweet 
title  of  "  Do  wry  of  Mary.^ 

It  was  some  time  after  dark — which  in  sum- 
mer-time in  England  is  rather  late — before  we 
arrived  in  York.  I  took  a  carriage  and  was 
driven  to  the  "  Black  Swan,"  one  of  the  old- 
est hotels  in  the  city.  York  is  the  Eboracum 
of  the  Romans,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not 
the  oldest  of  the  cities  in  England,  whose  exis- 
tence dates  back  a  thousand  years  before  the 
coming  of  Christ.  It  became  an  important 
town  under  the  Romans,  and  was  the  Brit- 
ish residence  of  the  Roman  emperors ;  where 
Septimius  Severus  and  Constantius  Chlorus 


and  the  Holy  Land.  409 

died,  and  where  Constantine  was  proclaimed 
emperor,  and  which  many  claim  to  have 
been  his  native  place.  It  is  surrounded  by 
ancient  walls  which  had  .  their  origin  in  the 
time  of  the  Roman  dominion. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  I  inquired  for 
a  Catholic  church,  to  which  I  was  easily  di- 
rected. The  church,  which  was  a  sightly, 
substantial  edifice,  was  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  York  minster,  the  ancient 
cathedral  of  the  archiepiscopal  see  of  York, 
over  whose  destinies  so  many  saints  in  for- 
mer times  presided ;  among  whom  were  St. 
Wilfrid,  St.  Oswald,  and  St.  John  of  Beverly. 
Cardinal  Wolsey  was  also  archbishop  of 
York.  / 

After  attending  Mass  I  directed  my  steps 
to  the  cathedral.  By  many  it  is  considered 
the  finest  church  in  England.  Before  the  con- 
version of  the  people  to  Christianity  a  pagan 
temple  stood  on  its  site,  where  in  the  seventh 
century  a  noble  Christian  church  was  raised 
to  the  honor  of  Christ.  The  present  edifice 
was  begun  in  the  twelfth  century  on  the 
ruins  of  a  grand  church  built  in  the  preced- 
ing century,  but  it  was  not  completed  until 
after  the  lapse  of  three  hundred  yenrs.  It  was 
dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apos- 


4 TO  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ties.  It  is  524  feet  in  length  and  249  feet  in 
breadth.  It  has  a  peal  of  twelve  bells,  one  of 
which  is  the  largest  in  Great  Britain.  The 
cathedral  windows  are  among  the  largest  and 
most  beautiful  in  the  world.  The  great  east 
window  is  78  feet  high  and  32  feet  wide, 
and  its  traceries,  carved  in  stone,  appear  like 
delicate  lace-work,  and  are  lilled  with  admir- 
able stained  glass,  making  it  an  open  book 
treating  of  sacred  historic  subjects,  which 
even  they  who  know  not  letters  are  able  to 
read.  This  window  has  been  declared  by 
artists  and  architects  to  be  the  finest  of  its 
kind  in  existence.  The  large  window  over  the 
central  front  entrance  is  also  considered  to 
be  without  a  rival  elsewhere  in  England. 

I  walked  beneath  the  lofty  arches  of  this 
stately  minster,  over  the  pavements  trod  in 
former  centuries  by  the  feet  of  Catholic  multi- 
tudes, and  beheld  the  walls  yet  grand,  al- 
though deprived  of  many  of  their  adornments 
which  made  them  attractive  in  the  ages  of 
faith,  and  thought  of  the  scenes,  the  proces- 
sions, and  the  solemn  services  that  they  had 
witnessed  in  the  old  times  when  England  was 
Catholic.  / 

I  wandered  among  the  tombs  of  those  buried 
here,  some  modern  and  others  ancient,  with 


and  the  Holy  Land.  4 1 1 

reclining  effigies  carved  in  stone  upon  them. 
The  old  tombs  alone  represent  *the  faith, 
the  piety,  and  the  genius  that  raised  this 
wonderful  monument  to  the  glory  of  God.  In 
a  short  time  the  people  began  to  pass  through 
the  church  for  ten  o'clock  service.  They  all 
entered  the  place  whicli  was  once  the  sanctu- 
ary, and,  although  the  number  appeared  re- 
spectable, only  a  part  of  the  reserved  space 
was  occupied.  When  services  commenced  they 
closed  the  doors  and  shut  off  from  the  rest 
of  the  great  cathedral  their  little  corner, 
which  was  once  so  bright  with  the  Presence 
of  the  Glorious  King.  About  twenty  like  my- 
self stayed  outside  in  the  church,  who,  rath- 
er than  "fain  fill  themselves"  with  the  dry 
moral  husks  which  would  be  offered  for 
spiritual  sustenance,  preferred  to  revel  in  the 
grand  banquet  of  the  soul's  aspirations,  sym- 
bolized in  material  forms  and  pictured  rays 
of  beauty  created  to  a  new  image  and  like- 
ness by  the  heart  and  hand  of  religion./ 

There  was  one  thing  about  their  service 
that  was  not  dreary  when  heard  from  the 
place  where  I  was  sitting.  The  music  was 
stately  and  solemn,  and  when  the  rich,  deep 
voices  of  the  male  singers  resounded  through 
the  arches  I  gave  myself  up  to  my  imagi- 


412  A    Visit  to  Europe 

nation,  and  the  olden  times  of  Catholic  devo- 
tion had  returned,  and  the  cathedral  chapter, 
assisted  by  a  pious  clergy,  were  chanting  the 
praises  of  God  in  the  sublime  language  of 
the  Divine  Office.  But  if  the  door  between 
us  had  opened,  my  eyesight  would  have 
quickly  dispelled  the  illusion. 

It  was  a  bright,  sunshiny  day — supposed 
to  be  rare  in  England — and  the  golden  light 
that  oame  through  the  fine  old  windows  in  so 
many  rich  and  delicate  shades  and  forms  of 
color  beautified  everything  on  which  it  rested 
with  that  ethereal  tint  or  brighter  hue  that 
none  but  an  angel's  hand  could  paint  or  gild. 

After  some  time  I  went  out  to  take  a  bet- 
ter view  of  the  exterior  of  the  church  and  its 
surroundings.  I  made  the  circuit  of  the  build- 
ing and  saw .  it  from  every  side,  until  at 
length  I  found  a  convenient  seat  under  a  wide- 
branching,  grand  old  tree,  which  cast  its  wel- 
come shade  on  the  smooth  greensward  that 
extended  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
church  in  that  direction.  I  sat  and  mused, 
while  I  selected  different  parts  of  the  grand 
edifice  for  closer  inspection,  and  then  traced 
their  relation  to  the  general  plan,  until  the 
whole  symmetrical  ideal  stood  realized  before 
my  eyes,  i 


and  the  Holy  Land.  413 

Returning  to  my  hotel,  which  I  had  a  lit- 
tle difficulty  in  finding,  I  passed  rfVy  time  in 
reading  and  conversation  until  the  hour  in  the 
afternoon  when  the  "Salvation  Army"  would 
parade,  which  .  the  landlord  of  the  Black 
Swan  desired  me  to  see,  as  I  had  never  yet 
seen  that  newest  form  of  fanaticism,  the  off- 
spring of  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  true  re- 
ligion. There  were  several  "separate  divisions 
on  exhibition,  eacli  having  a  different  kind 
of  music.  Bands  and  banners,  street  pray- 
ers and  exhortations,  composed  their  doubtful 
stock  in  trade.  Their  methods  seem  to  move 
the  lower  rather  than  the  higher  nature  of 
man,  and  those  who  once  enlist  in  their  ranks 
will  probably  remain  loyal  to  their  flag  so 
long  as  excitement,  profit,  or  the  shame  of  de- 
sertion are  able  to  keep  them./ 

Afterwards  I  took  a  walk  through  the  city, 
which  has  many  picturesque  and  venerable 
buildings.  I  again  visited  the  Catholic  church, 
and  took  another  look  at  York  minster.  I 
returned  to  the  hotel  in  time  for  a  late  din- 
ner, which  was  specially  prepared  for  me. 
A  young  officer  of  the  British  army  had  not 
yet  finished  his  dinner  when  I  commenced 
mine.  We  soon  got  into  an  interesting  con- 
,  and  he  remained  until  I  also  had 


414  A    Vis  if  to  En  r  opt 


finished.  He  had  never  met  any  Americans, 
and  expected,  from  what  he  had  heard,  that 
my  accent  in  speaking  the  mother- tongue 
would  be  entirely  different.  We  talked  over 
matters  pertaining  to  the  army,  certain  rules 
of  honor  among  gentlemen,  national  character- 
istics, and  religion,  j 

After  dinner  I  took  another  long  walk. 
When,  night  was  coming  on,  and  the  rays  of 
the  sun  no  longer  lingered,  but  the  day  was 
yet  clear,  the  magnificent  cathedral  of  York 
stood  in  bold  form  against  the  sky,  but  soft- 
ened into  milder  lines  in  the  mellower  light 
nearer  the  earth.  How  many  grand  cathe- 
drals and  fine  churches,  built  in  the  ages  of 
faith,  remain  in  every  part  of  England  as 
enduring  monuments  of  her  ancient  religion ! 
"  Behold  your  house  shall  be  left  to  you 
desolate."  "Many  pastors  have  destroyed  my 
vineyard  ;  they  have  trodden  my  portion  un- 
der foot ;  they  have  changed  my  delightful 
portion  into  a  desolate  wilderness.  They  have 
laid  it  waste,  and  it  hath  mourned  for  me. 
With  desolation  is  all  the  land  made  des- 
olate "  (Jeremias  xii.  10,  11).  Will  the  time 
ever  come  when  the  light  will  once  more 
burn  before  the  altars  of  these  ancient 
churches  of  England,  proclaiming  the  return 


and  tJic  Holy  Land.  4 1 5 

of  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  and  will  the 
Divine  Office  once  more  be  heard  in  their 
sanctuaries — in  a  word,  will  they  ever  again 
become  the  temples  where  the  Incarnate  God 
dwells  and  receives  due  worship  from  His 
creatures?  "O  our  God,  hear  the  supplica- 
tion of  Thy  servan.t  and  his  prayers,  and 
show  Thy  face  upon  Thy  sanctuary  which  is 
desolate."/ 

Late  that  night  I  left  York  on  the  train 
for  Edinburgh.  When  morning  dawned .  I 
looked  out  of  the  window  and  found  that 
we  were  in  the  hilly  country  of  northern 
England.  The  most  part  of  our  journey  after- 
wards was  through  a  region  of  hills,  which  in 
Scotland  —  passing  on  our  way  through  the 
hills  of  Lammermoor — became  more  and  more 
rugged  until  we  reached  Edinburgh.  But  in 
their  midst  were  frequent  dimpled  dales,  where 
sometimes  fields  of  grain  appeared,  but  which 
more  commonly  were  devoted  to  pasturage 
and  meadow.  This  district  of  northern  Eng- 
land and  southern  Scotland  through  which 
we  passed  is  famous  the  world  over  for  its 
sheep  and  cattle.  / 

Crossing  the  » Tweed,  we  were  in  Scotland. 
The  morning  was  chilly,  but  one  is  always 
interested  when  he  enters  a  country  for  the 


4i 6  A    Visit  to  Europe 

first  time  ;  and  hardly  a  hill,  or  valley,  or 
farm-house  was  passed  without  my  obser- 
vation. On  our  entrance  into  Edinburgh  we 
passed  the  abbey  and  palace  of  Holyrood. 
The  town  of  Edinburgh  was  fiiv-t  called  Ed- 
win's burgh  in  the  seventh  century,  after 
Edwin,  King  of  North  wnbria,  who  resided 
there.  We  arrived  at  the  station  at  about 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  as  it  was 
my  intention  to  walk  about  the  city  until 
the  departure  of  the  train  for  Liverpool, 
which  would  leave  about  noon,  I  took  a  cab 
and  left  my  baggage  at  the  station  from 
which  the  train  would  depart.  I  walked 
along  Prince's  Street,  on  which  is  located  the 
rather  ornate  monument  of  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
to  a  high  eminence  towards  the  east,  which  I 
learned  was  Calton  Hill.  It  was  my  desire  to 
view  the  city  at  early  morn  from  an  elevated 
position.  When  I  had  reached  the  summit  of 
the  hill  a  fine  panorama  stretched  out  be- 
fore my  eyes  on  every  side,  slightly  obscured 
by  the  mists  of  the  morning,  which  were 
gradually  disappearing  before  the  risen  sun. 
Below  me  in  the  valleys,  and  on  sloping 
ridges  and  rugged  heights,  lay  the  city,  awak- 
ening to  the  life  and  activities  of  another  day. 
Towards  the  north  the  pale  blue  waters  of 


and  the  Holy  Land.  417 


the  Frith  of  Forth  were  seen  dimly  in  the 
hazy  distance.  Near  me  on  the  hill  were 
various  monuments  erected  to  Scotch  celeb- 
rities, and  below  in  the  city  were  numerous 
monuments  to  the  memory  of  men  of  every 
kind  of  distinction.  When  a  city  once  deter- 
mines to  ride  a  hobby  in  any  particular 
direction,  it  usually  succeeds.  Tlie  good 
people  of  Edinburgh  seem  to  have  directed 
considerable  attention  to  the  building  of  mon- 
uments, for  which  purpose  their  city  offers 
many  natural  advantages.  Across  the  valley, 
at  the  extremity  of  the  ridge  on  the  opposite 
side,  rose  from  its  rocky  foundations  the 
battlemented  walls  and  broad,  strong  towers 
of  Edinburgh  castle.  The  hour  that  I  spent 
on  Calton  Hill  was  the  most  pleasant  of  my 
brief  stay  in  the  city./ 

I  walked  across  the  bridge  to  the  old  town, 
and  loitered  through  some  of  its  streets, 
finally  going  around  one  side  of  the  castle 
into  the  valley  below.  I  did  not  have  time 
to  enter  castles,  palaces,  or  other  historic 
buildings,  nor  had  I  much  desire  left  for 
such  visits,  and  the  only  public  buildings 
which  I  entered  were  railway  stations  and 
restaurants.  Out-door  life  and  views  pleased 
me  better.  Their  churches — as  I  did  not  hap- 


418  A    Visit  to  Europe 

pen  to  find  those  that  were  Catholic — had  for 
me  but  very  little  attraction.  I  then  took 
a  long  walk  through  the  new  portion  of  the 
town,  which  is  much  the  finest  part  of  the 
city./  • 

I  spent  the  last  two  hours  of  rny  visit  in 
the  beautiful  valley  below  Edinburgh  castle. 
It  is  divided  into  gardens,  extensive  green- 
sward, and  shady  groves,  through  which  runs 
a  small  but  sparkling  river.  The  long  beds 
of  foliage  plants  and  flowers  were  arranged 
with  almost  perfect  taste,  and  kept  with  most 
scrupulous  care.  I  sat  down  on  one  of  the 
numerous  seats  under  the  shade-trees,  and 
tried  to  compare  the  past  and  present.  High 
above  me  the  great,  gray  old  cnstle,  stand- 
ing on  its  almost  perpendicular,  dizzy  heights, 
frowned  upon  the  smiling  valley.  It  is  said 
that  the  daughters  of  the  Pictish  kings  once 
resided  there,  and  that  it  was  called  the 
"castrum  puellarum."  But  in  those  ancient 
times,  when  the  fair  eye  of  beauty  looked  in 
joy  or  sadness  o'er  the  scene,  it  rested  not 
upon  the  sylvan  valley,  but  on  a  silver  lake 
whose  dreamy  waters  rippled  with  low,  sweet 
sounds  against  its  high,  overhanging  shores, 
and  dimpled  with  smiles  in  the  happy  sunshine 
of  heaven.  The  lake  of  former  times,  which 


and  the  Holy  Land.  419 

was  called  North  Loch,  was  drained  in  1763 
and  changed  into  a  park  and  gardens.  I  walked 
over  the  bridge  and  through  the  valley,  and 
took  different  views  of  the  same  surroundings, 
and  enjoyed  my  own  reflections  on  the  days 
gone  by  and  the  days  that  are  ours,  until  it 
was  time  to  go  to  the  station.  I  was  not  sorry 
that  I  should  so  soon  meet  the  two  companions 
of  my  journey,  for  one  is  inclined  to  get  lone- 
some in  a  foreign  land.  Our  route  by  railroad 
led  down  through  the  centre  of  Mid-Lothian— 
now  called  Edinburghshire— and  other  southern 
counties  of  Scotland.  We  passed  through  sev- 
eral ranges  of  hills,  and  even  when  we  trav- 
ersed wide,  level  plains,  low  lines  of  hills  were 
always  visible  in  the  distance.  \ 

The  first  English  city  of  any  importance 
which  we  reached  was  Carlisje.  We  passed 
through  those  counties  of  northeast  England 
that  compose  the  lake  district,  which  is  looked 
on  by  the  English  as  a  very  charming  region. 
I  did  not  get  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  coun- 
try, from  those  parts  of  the  counties  through 
which  the  railroad  ran,  to  form  a  judgment  as 
to  the  merits  of  the  claim.  The  western  part 
of  England,  as  seen  from  the  train,  presents  a 
very  different  appearance  from  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  country.  During  nearly  the  whole 


420  A    Visit  to  Europe 

distance  a  long,  low  range  of  liills  stretched 
along  the  eastern  horizon ;  and  the  towns 
through  which  we  passed  during  the  last  part 
of  the  journey  were  dirty,  smoky,  and  noisy 
from  the  vast  manufacturing  establishments 
which  they  contain.  At  one  of  the  stations 
on  the  route  a  gentleman  with  two  or  three 
friends  entered  the  compartment  in  which  I 
rode.  He  was  very  much  interested  in  telling 
his  friends  of  the  flattering  reception  given 
him  by  a  certain  club,  and  of  several  other 
honors  of  a  similar  nature  which  he  had  en- 
joyed during  that  or  the  preceding  day.  He 
seemed  to  be  swelling  very  big  with  local  im- 
portance, and  the  thought  came  to  me :  A  con- 
ceited man  is  the  same  in  every  land.  But,  af- 
ter all,  he  may  have  been  a  good-hearted  and 
simple  man,  easily  pleased  with  the  /baubles  of 
life,  who  did  not  appear  to  his  usual  advan- 
tage, at  least  in  the  eyes  of  a  perhaps  too 
critical  stranger.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we 
reached  Liverpool,  the  greatest  seaport  town 
of  England.  Noise  and  business  reigned  su- 
preme within  its  confines. \ 

To  a  certain  class  of  men,  whose  minds  are 
filled  with  industrial  and  commercial  enter- 
prise, Liverpool  would  probably  be  one  of  the 
most  attractive  cities  on  the  globe ;  to  me  it 


and  the  Holy  Land,  42 1 


was  the  exact  opposite.  Without  doubt  it 
possesses  many  pleasant  localities,  but  I  did 
not  care  to  hunt  them  out ;  and  Liverpool  is 
one  of  the  cities  of  the  Old  World  where  I 
should  not  tare  to  live.  I  engaged  a  carriage 
and  drove  to  the  hotel  where  we  had  agreed 
to  meet. 

My  companions  had  arrived  before  me,  and 
one  of  them  had  already  seen  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  city.  The  next  day  we  made 
the  final  arrangements  for  our  return  voynge 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  we  would  start  from 
Queenstown  one  week  from  the  following 
Friday.  In  the  evening  two  of  our  num- 
ber went  on  board  the  night  steamer  for  Dub- 
lin. Our  companion  had  concluded  to  make 
Liverpool  the  starting  point  for  a  trip  to  Scot- 
land. 

Without  doubt  a  good  view  of  Liverpool 
Harbor,  with  its  immense  shipping,  would  be 
an  interesting  scene ;  but  this  we  missed  on 
account  of  the  darkness.\ 


422  A    Visit  to  Europe 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE   EMERALD   GEM   OF   THE   OCEAN. 


we  rose  in  the  morning  we  were  en- 
tering Dublin  Bay.  As  we  were  very  much 
fatigued  by  our  travels,  and  had  not  slept 
well  during  the  night,  we  concluded  to  set 
apart  the  forenoon  and  a  part  of  the  after- 
noon for  a  quiet  rest.  Towards  evening  we 
enjoyed  a  stroll,  directing  our  steps  to  the 
attractive  walks  and  retreats  of  St.  Stephen's 
Green.  It  is  one  of  the  largest,  city  parks  of 
Europe,  and  in  all  things  is  true  to  nature, 
even  in  its  most  lavish  artificial  adornments, 
and  contains  a  lakelet—  on  which  float  great 
white  swans  —  a  cliff  with  waterfalls,  sylvan 
shades,  and  a  fine,  grassy  expanse  beside  the 
cool  waters  and  under  the  pleasant  trees.  \ 

Early  the  next  morning  we  were  at  the  sta- 
tion to  take  the  train  for  Rathdrum,  in  the 
County  Wicklow,  from  which  place  we  should 
visit  Gleridalough  and  the  ruins  of  the  Seven 
Churches.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  way 
the  morning  ride  extended  along  the  sea-  coast  ; 
and  the  still  waters  of  a  sheltered  bay,  or  the 
wide  extended  waters  of  the  sea  which  united 


and  the  Holy  Land.  423 

with  the  blue  sky  at  the  horizon,  afforded  us 
many  enjoyable  views  on  that  fair  August 
morning,  when  the  golden  rays  of  the  sun 
gilded  the  emerald  landscape  with  a  mild 
brightness,  and,  while  each  color  retained  its 
own  rare  beauty,  the  two  were  so  commingled 
and  combined  that  each  was  made  more  beau- 
tiful by  the  presence  of  the  other. 

It  was  yet  early  when  we  reached  Rath- 
drum,  and  we  immediately  took  a  jaunting- 
car  for  Glendalough,  which  was  a  little  more 
than  eight  miles  distant.  As  a  number  of 
tourists  were  going  over  the  same  way,  every 
car  was  fully  occupied,  and  some  of  them 
were  crowded.  A  young  gentleman  and  lady 
from  England,  who  were  born  in  Ireland,  were 
on  the  car  with  us,  and  we  kept  together  dur- 
ing the  day.\ 

Nearly  the  whole  distance  our  road  ran  by 
the  side  of  the  river  Avonmore,  and  at  nearly 
every  turn  or  eminence  on  the  way  we  came 
upon  some  new  prospect  of  grand  natural 
scenery,  or  some  charming  rural  retreat,  the 
most  delightful  of  which  was  the  lovely  Vale 
of  Clara,  embosomed  in  green.  And  as  it  lay 
below  us  in  the  soft  light  of  a  sunshiny  Irish 
day,  it  seemed  as  if  the  pure  angel  of  the 
vale,  living  in  the  light  of  heaven  and  catch- 


424  A    Visit  to  Europe 

ing  its  radiance,  reflected  its  beauties  in  mild- 
ness o'er  the  sweet,  dimpled  face  of  the  valley. 

In  due  time  we  reached  the  small  village  of 
Glendalough,  composed  of  perhaps  a  dozen 
houses.  We  preferred  to  make  the  remainder 
of  our  excursion  on  foot  and  by  boat.  The 
most  important  ruins  of  the  churches,  together 
with  St.  Kevin's  Kitchen,  were  near  at  hand. 
Several  guides  offered  their  services,  with  some 
of  whom  we  were  not  favorably  impressed. 
They  were  probably  good  persons,  but,  as  we 
did  not  want  " smartness"  instead  of  know- 
ledge, we  chose  an  old  woman  of  simple  pre- 
tensions who  could  point  out  to  us  the  dif- 
ferent places  of  legend  and  history.  \ 

We  soon  reached  the  first  and  most  im- 
portant ruins.  A  splendid  specimen  of  the 
ancient  round  tower  stood  at  the  entrance  to 
the  cemetery  and  ruins.  At  its  base  we  found 
some  sod  thick  with  shamrocks.  With  o*r 
knives  we  cut  loose  several  pieces — each  one 
being  a  few  inches  square — to  plant  in  Ameri- 
can soil.  Mine  lived  nearly  two  years  and 
then  died.  The  American  climate  did  not 
prove  altogether  congenial  to  their  nature.  We 
then  wandered  among  tombs  and  crumbling 
walls  where  the  religious  and  saints  of  centu- 
ries Jived,  and  where  they  are  buried, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  425 

These  ruins  mark  the  site  and  are  the  rem- 
nants of  an  ancient  monastic  city  whose  walls 
were  laid  thirteen  hundred  years  ago,  arid 
which  became  one  of  .the  most  flourishing  holy 
cities  of  Ireland,  with  a  long  line  of  saintly 
and  learned  abbots,  from  its  founder,  St. 
Kevin,  to  St.  Lawrence  O'Toole,  who  was  ab- 
bot here  before  he  became  archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin. 

A  writer  has  well  described  the  place  in 
these  words:  uThe  long,  continuous  shadow 
of  the  lofty  and  slender  round  tower  moves 
slowly  from  morn  till  eve  over  wasted  churches, 
crumbling  oratories,  shattered  crosses,  scattered 
yew-trees,  and  tombs,  now  undistinguishable, 
of  bishops,  abbots,  and  anchorites.7'  When 
St.  Kevin  founded  this  great  monastic  estab- 
lishment in  the  sixth  century,  it  was  soon  af- 
ter the  beginning  of  the  golden  age  of  Irish 
learning  and  devotion  \ 

To-day  you  will  find  in  Ireland  grander 
ruins  than  those  of  St.  Kevin's  time,  and 
which  represent  religion  in  the  middle  ages, 
but  they  belong  to  a  period,  however  notable, 
six  centuries  after  the  era  of  Ireland's  most 
glorious  religious  annals.  There  is  probably 
not  a  county  in  Ireland  that  does  not  pos- 
sess ruins  of  the  fifth,  sixth,  or  seventh  cen- 


426  A    Visit  to  Europe 

turies,  and  in  some  counties  a  large  num- 
ber of  such  ruins  mark  the  places  where  his- 
tory tells  us  once  stood  those  monastic  towns 
within  whose  walls  were  ^gathered  thousands 
of  monks,  and  to  which  students  flocked  from 
nearly  every  country  of  Europe,  where  they 
learned  music,  architecture,  carving,  metallurgy, 
and  the  classic  languages  Greek  and  Latin. 
The  monks  themselves  were  diligent  copyists 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  works  of  the 
classic  authors,  and  whose  ancient  manuscripts 
are  found  in  many  European  libraries.  They 
also  preserved  to  the  world,  in  their  immortal 
Annals,  a  record  of  the  important  events, 
as  well  as  a  mirror  of  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  These  monks  were  men  whose  fathers 
were  pagan  warriors  who  had  worshipped  ac- 
cording to  the  religious  rites  of  the  Druids,  and 
whose  blood,  in  the  desire  of  battle  and  in  the 
fight,  had  often  burned  with  the  fierce  fires  of 
revenge.  Such  men,  having  become  Christians, 
had  reared  sons  and  daughters  who  became 
saints  by  thousands  \ 

In  that  age  St.  Kevin  founded  Glendalough, 
St.  Kieran  founded  Clonmacnoise,  St.  Finian 
founded  Innisfallen,  another  St.  Finian  founded 
Clonnrd,  St.  Bute  founded  Monasterboice,  St. 
Carthagh  founded  Lismore,  St.  Enda  founded 


and  the  Holy  Land.  427 


the  monasteries  of  Arran,  St.  Bridget,  the 
great  convent  of  Kildare,  and  a  hundred  other 
saints  founded  monastic  houses  over  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Ireland,  whose  wonder- 
ful religious  life  and  influence  continued  in 
the  following  centuries.  As  a  fair  illustration 
of  the  greatness  of  many  of  those  foundations, 
I  will  mention  Bangor,  founded  by  St.  Com- 
gall  in.  the  sixth  century,  which  is  said  to 
have  had  at  one  time  no  less  than  three 
thousand  monks,  who  were  divided  into  seven 
choirs  of  three  hundred  singers  each,  who  day 
and  night  continually  sung  the  praises  of 
God.  The  great  Montalembert  in  his  immor- 
tal work,  Monks  of  the  West,  speaking  of 
Ireland,  states  that  "  the  number  of  3,000 
monks  is  constantly  met  with  in  the  records 
of  the  great  monasteries"  ;  and  farther  affirms : 
' 'It  has  been  said,  and  cannot  be  sufficiently 
repeated,  that  Ireland  was  then  regarded  by 
all  Christian  Europe  as  the  principal  centre  of 
knowledge  and  piety."/ 

We  walked  by  the  shores  of  one  of  the  two 
lakes,  and  crossing  a  bridge  over  the  stream 
that  unites  them,  we  soon  reached  other 
ruins  near  a  large  pool  and  rushing  stream, 
where  the  old  woman  kindly  pointed  out  to 
us  a  great  rock  "split  in  twain  by  the  giant 


428  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Finn  Mac  Cumal"  (Finn  Mac  Cool).  Near  this 
spot  we  took  a  boat  on  the  upper  lake, 
to  visit  "St.  Kevin's  Bed."  This  part  of  the 
glen  is  wilder  and  more  sombre  than  the 
scenery  of  the  lower  lake,  and  even  to  this 
day,  if  it  were  not  for  its  numerous  visitors, 
would  be  a  fit  place  for  deep  religious  soli- 
tude. We  soon  reached  the  cave, 

"By    that  lake  whose  gloomy  shore 
Skylark    never   warbles  o'er."  / 

The  "bed"  is  about  twenty -five  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  lake,  almost  directly  over- 
hanging it.  For  this  reason  we  had  first  to 
climb  an  inclined  rocky  shore  to  a  narrow 
ledge,  from  which,  by  putting  our  hands  and 
feet  in  small  openings,  we  made  our  way 
around  the  almost  perpendicular  side  of  the 
rock  into  the  cave.  I  am  easily  made  dizzy, 
but  I  thought  that  if  I  fell  into  the  water  it 
could  not  do  much  more  harm  than  to  wet 
me.  As  an  example  of  the  mistakes  some- 
times made  by  even  learned  writers  I  will 
quote  from  a  note  in  Butler's  Lines  of  the 
Saints,  taken  by  him  from  another  author: 
"It  is  a  cave  hewed  in  the  solid  rock  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  exceeding  difficult  in 
the  ascent  and  terrible  in  prospect  ;  for  it 


and  the  Holy  Land.  429 


hangs  almost  perpendicular  over  the  lough 
about  three  hundred  feet  above  tne  surface  of 
the  water,  says  Harris."  I  entered  it  alone, 
and  had  a  short  time  for  contemplation.  Its 
walls  are  smooth  and  there  is  sufficient  room 
for  two  persons.  At  one  end  is  a  slight  ele- 
vation of  stone  for  a  pillow,  and  at  the  other 
is  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  which  looks  out 
over  the  silent  waters,  darkened  by  the  deep 
shadows  of  the  desolate  surrounding  mountains. 
In  this  grotto  St.  Kevin  spent  many  days  and 
nights  in  holy  retreat  and  penance ;  and  here 
St.  Lawrence  O'Toole  passed  much  time  in 
prayer  and  spiritual  exercises.  I  was  surprised 
to  see  the  names  of  many  titled  and  literary 
gentlemen  of  the  British  Isles  carved  in  the 
sides  of  the  cave.  It  is  a  vulgarism  that  I 
had  not  expected  to  find  among  that  class  of 
people,  and  even  if  it  had  been  perpetrated 
by  the  class  of  wealthy,  upstart  Americans 
of  vulgar  manners  who  sometimes  travel 
abroad,  I  should  have  been  ashamed  of 
them.\ 

By  boat  and  on  foot  we  returned  to  the 
hamlet  of  Glendalough.  As  we  walked  down 
the  road  by  the  side  of  the  lake,  farmers 
were  working  in  the  adjoining  fields  on  the 
sloping  hillsides,  and  I  almost  envied  them 


43°  A    Visit  to  Europe 


their  constant  enjoyment  of  the  wild  bat  beau- 
tiful scenery   of    the   "Glen   of  the  Lakes.'' 

After  a  short  delay  we  returned  to  Rath 
drum  over  the  same  road  by  which  we  came. 
We  concluded  to  remain  over-night  in  that 
village,  at  "Crowley's"  neat  and  comfortable 
hotel.  The  next  morning  my  companion  re- 
turned to  Dublin,  and  I  took  the  southern 
train  for  Enniscorthy,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford.  Before  starting  we  had  sufficient  time 
to  take  a  walk  in  the  suburbs  of  that  quiet 
country  village,  which  possesses  an  abundance 
of  grand  shade  trees. 

Our  train  towards  the  south  passed  down 
through  the  "Sweet  Vale  of  Avoca." 

"  There   is  not   in  this  wide  world  a  valley   so  sweet 
As   the  vale   in   whose   bosom    the   bright   waters   meet ; 
Oh  !   the  last  rays  of  feeling  and  life  must   depart 
Ere   the   bloom   of  that  valley  shall  fade  from  my  heart."  \ 

On  entering  the  County  Wexford  we  passed 
through  several  towns,  among  which  one  of 
the  smallest  but  most  ancient  was  Ferns, 
which  gives  its  name  to  the  episcopal  see 
of  the  county,  although  the  bishop  resides  in 
Enniscorthy.  The  see  of  Ferns  was  established 
in  the  sixth  century  by  St.  Mogue,  and  in 
this  ancient  town  stood  the  castle  and  prin- 


and  the  Holy  Land.  431 

eipal  residence  of  the  famous  MacMurrogb, 
King  of  Leinster.  I  arrived  in  Enniscorthy 
soon  after  nine  o'clock,  and,  as  I  should  re- 
turn to  Dublin  that  day,  I  immediately  hired 
a  jaunting-car  for  my  trip  through  the  county, 
going  to  the  sea-coast,  near  which  my  route 
lay  for  about  nine  miles,  and  taking  a  late 
afternoon  train  at  Gorey,  which  is  fifteen 
miles  by  rail  north  of  Enniscorthy.\ 

It  was  a  warm  day,  considering'  the  usual 
mild  climate  of  Ireland,  and  as  we  rode  out  of 
Enniscorthy  the  sun  darted  down  on  us  some 
of  his  most  fervent  rays.  Vinegar  Hill,  which 
became  noted  in  the  Irish  rebellion  of  1798, 
appeared  for  some  time  on  our  right.  There 
was  nothing  specially  interesting  during  the 
first  half  of  the  journey,  except  that  to  me 
rural  scenes  in  a  pleasant  country  are  always 
enjoyable.  In  outward  appearance  Wexford 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  most  prosperous  coun- 
ties in  Ireland,  although  it  is  said  that  the 
soil  is  not  so  fertile  as  in  some  other  parts. 
The  farm-houses,  taken  in  general,  were  among 
the  best  that  I  saw  in  the  country.  Towards 
noon  we  entered  the  village  of  Kilmucridge, 
where  the  parish  church  of  Litter  is  located. 

The  next  village  where  there  is  a  parish 
church  is  Ballygarrett,  about  four  miles  dis- 


432  A    Visit  to  Europe 

tant,  which  I  was  anxious  to  see,  as  I  had 
once  written  a  poem  describing  it  and  the  coun- 
try through  which  I  should  pass  in  going  there 
from  Litter.  As  I  had  never  seen  the  place 
when  the  poem  was  written,  I  was  desirous  to 
know  if  my  description  had  been  true  to  the 
reality.  I  can  now  state  that  if  I  were  to 
write  it  again  I  would  not  change  one  word. 
In  order  that  the  reader  may  travel  over  the 
road  with  me,  and  in  the  distance  see  with 
my  eyes  the  village  and  church  for  the  first 
time,  I  will  here  transcribe  my  poem,  which 
was  entitled : 

MEMORIES  OF  A1ST  IRISH  EXILE.  \ 

Oh !  I  love  thee,   Ballygarrett ! 

As  I  loved  thee  when  a  child, 
Love  thy  chapel  and  thy  altar, 

With  a  love  still  undefiled. 

O  the  innocence  of  childhood ! 

O  the  purity  of  love ! 
In  my  native  home  in  Ireland, 

Its  pure  symbol,  whitest  dove. 

All  the  memories   of  childhood, 
All  that  joy  and  love  impart, 

Are  a  portion  of  my  being, 
And  the  chords  that  thrill  my  heart. 


and  the  Holy  Land.  433 

Sweet  and  tender  are  these  memories, 

Dearest  part  of  all  my  life  ; 
Stronger,  purer  do  they  make  me 

In  the  battle-field  of  strife. 

Birds  are  sweetly  to  me  singing, 

Flowers  entice  of  every  hue, 
Fields  of  green  and  joy  around  me, 

And  above  me  heaven's  blue. 

And  the  friends  of  youth   surround  me, 
Father,  mother,  kindred,   kind ; 

Holy  scenes  before  the  altar 
Fill  and  sanctify  my  mind. 

Little,   quiet  Irish  village, 

With  thy  houses   thatched   and  gray, 
I  have  never  met   thy  equal 

All  the  years  I've  been  away. 

And  them  bright,  green   Irish  landscape, 
Where  my  own  home  smiling  lay, 

In  my  many   years  of  absence 
I  have  thought  of  thee  each  day. 

On  the  charming  road  to  Litter, 
Near  the  bridge   that  you   cross  o'er, 

In  my  own  dear  Bally  water, 
You  would  pass  our  cottage-door.  \ 


4.34  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Dear  old  home  of  youth  and  kindred, 
Where  my  father's  race  was  born, 

Dear  old  house  that  saw  my  childhood, 
And  where  first  I  saw  the  morn ; 

Where  I  saw  the  morning  breaking 

Of  a  life  that  soon  is  o'er, 
Home  from  which  we  sadly  parted, 

To  return,  oh !    nevermore. 

Not  a  place  so  brightly  smiling, 

Not  a  corner  of   the  earth, 
As  the  home  of  early  childhood, 

And  the  place  that  saw  my  birth. 

Other  lands  true  friends  have  given, 
Who  have  shown  me  loving  care, 

But  the  love  and  joys  of  childhood 
I  have  never  found  elsewhere. 

There  the  blackbird  whistled  gaily, 
And  the  thrush  was  singing  nigh, 

And   the  skylark,   lightly  rising, 
Sung  his  matins  in  the  sky  ; 

Birds  were  singing  in  the  hedges, 
And  in  trees  above   our  door ; 

Oh!  their  notes  they  will  be  singing 
In  my  heart  for  evermore.  \ 


and  the  Holy  Land.  435 

* 

While  the  voice  of  Irish  songsters 
Nevermore  will  please  my  ear, 

Yet  the  captive  bird,  sad  singing, 
Will  the  exile's  spirits  cheer; 

And  each  note  it  sings  in  sadness 

I  will  treasure  in  my  breast, 
For  I  know  'twas  sung  in  gladness 

O'er  its  dear  old  Irish  nest. 

In  those  days  of  purest  childhood 
One  thought  hallowed  all  the  rest : 

Day  of  joy  or  day   of  sorrow, 
Peace  of  God  dwelt  in  my  breast. 

Joys  of  faith  and  thoughts  of  heaven 

Erin's  children  treasure  up, 
And  the  smile  of  Christ  and  Mary 

Sweeten   sorrow's   bitter  cup. 

And  the  priesthood  and  the  altar 
Have  made  light  the  heavy  rod. 

When  the   sorrows   of  the  people 
Left  to  them  no   hope  but  God. 

Once  there  came   to  us  a  Curate, 
Entered  in  the  peasant's   door, 

Pale  and   thin,  and  poor  in  raiment, 
Whom  we  loved  as  none  before  \  / 


436  A    Visit  to  Eitrope 


Served  his   God  and  loved  his  people 

Offered  up  the   Sacrifice, 
Gave  to  us   the   Bread  of  Angels, 

Gave  us  hope  of  paradise ; 

Heard  the  tale   of  sin  and  sorrow, 
Calmed  with  holy  words   our  fears, 

Knelt  beside  the  dying   Christian, 
And  brought  sunshine  to  our  tears. 

Yes,  the  priest  was  with  his  people, 
Holding  out  the  saving  hand, 

And  in  pity  felt  their   sorrows 
And  the  sorrows   of  his  land  ; 

Felt  their  sorrows  more  than  human, 
Changed  dark  sorrows  into  joy, 

By  the  thought  and  hope  of  heaven, 
Which  no  tyrant  could  destroy. 

He  is  now  the  royal  shepherd 
Of  the  ancient  see  of  Ferns,* 

But  I  love   him  as  I  loved  him, 
And  my  heart  in  exile  turns  \ 


*  The  late  Dr.  Warren,  Bishop  of  Ferns,  was  once  curate  of  Ballygarrett, 
County  Wexford.  Very  Bev.  Canon  Furlong  informed  the  writer  that 
this  poem,  which  the  bishop  received  in  his  last  illness,  gave  him  the 
greatest  consolation,  for  which  I  am  thankful, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  437 

To  the  angel  of  my   childhood, 

To  that  holy  priest   of  God, 
Who  traced  out  for  me   the  pathway 

In  which   once  my    Saviour  trod. 

And  my  feet  have  kept  that  pathway, 
While  that  gentle  voice  I  hear 

Sounding  in  my  heart  for  ever, 
As   it  sounded  in  my  ear. 

Oh !   the  thoughts  that  throng  my  memory 
Of   those  now  departed  years, 

How   they  stir  deep  sorrow's  fountain, 
How  they  fill  my  eyes  with   tears ! 

But  I  left  thee,    Ballygarrett, 

Turned  my  face  away  from  thee, 

Left  my   friends  and  home    and   kindred, 
Found  a  home  beyond  the  sea. 

I  remember,  when  we  parted, 
All  the  thoughts   I  left  unsaid, 

Looked  upon   thee  in  my  silence, 
As  one  looketh  on  the  dead  ; 

Took  one  long  look  in  my  anguish, 

Ere  I  went  from  thee  away  ; 
O  my  God  !   it  is   heart-breaking 

When  I   think  of  thee  that 


438  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Oli  !   I  lingered  at  the   doorway, 

And  I  lingered  at  the  gate, 
Then  I   took   one  last  look  backward, 

And  I  yielded  to  my  fate. 

But   I  love  thee,    Ballygarrett, 
With  a  love  that  ne'er  grows  cold, 

And  I'll  love   thee   e'en  in   heaven, 

Where  the  streets  are  paved  with  gold. 

"Near  the  bridge  that  you  cross  o'er"  I 
gathered  some  flowers,  and  dug  up  some  soil 
with  shamrocks  for  a  friend  in  America,  to 
whom  they  would  bring  back  all  the  memories 
of  childhood  and  early  years,  described  by  me 
in  poetical  verse. \ 

Arriving  in  the  village,  I  first  entered  the 
church  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  called  on 
the  parish  priest,  the  Very  Rev.  Canon  Fur- 
long, at  the  parochial  residence,  who  received 
me  warmly.  He  kindly  and  cordially  invited 
me  to  stay  several  days ;  but  I  was  able  to 
spend  in  his  agreeable  and  intelligent  company 
only  a  brief  hour,  when  I  bid  him  good-by 
and  continued  my  journey.  Since  my  visit  to 
Ballygarrett,  Canon  Furlong  has  been  pro- 
moted to  the  more  important  parish  of  Gorey. 
As  he  had  requested  me  to  go  by  way  of 
Courtown  Harbor,  to  see  the  new  Riverchapel 


and  the  Holy  Land.  439 

which  he  had  just  built,  I  took  that  route. 
I  found  the  chapel  to  be  a  very  neat,  sub- 
stantial structure,  in  good  architectural  taste, 
and  an  ornament  to  the  quiet,  beautiful  village 
and  neighborhood  in  which  it  is  situated. 

At  Gorey  I  entered  the  train  for  Dublin, 
where  I  arrived  some  time  after  dark.  Each 
time  that  we  returned  to  Dublin  its  streets 
and  buildings  became  more  familiar  objects  to 
our  eyes,  but  I  should  hardly  dare  to  enter 
into  any  farther  description  of  the  city 
through  fear  of  becoming  tedious.  / 

The  next  day  one  of  my  companions  and 
myself  took  the  early  afternoon  train  for  Gal- 
way,  "the  city  of  the  tribes."  On  our  way 
we  passed  through  the  six  counties  of  Dublin. 
Kildare,  Meath,  West  Meath,  Roscommon,  and 
Galway,  and  the  towns  of  Mullingar,  Athlone, 
and  Athenry.  We  saw  the  fine,  collegiate-ap- 
pearing buildings  of  Maynooth  ;  and  we  passed 
near  a  number  of  ruined  castles  and  ecclesi- 
astical edifices  of  various  kinds,  among  them 
the  church-tower  of  Clonard,  where  once  stood 
the  celebrated  monastery  of  that  name, 
founded  by  one  of  the  several  saints  who  bore 
the  name  of  Finian.\ 

During  the  journey  we  enjoyed  the  sight  of 
some  fine  stretches  of  country,  with  gently 


440  A    Visit  to  Europe 


undulating  and  well-watered  pasturage,  where 
fleecy  flocks  and  fat  cattle  grazed  in  fields  of 
green  by  the  side  of  silver  streams  reflecting 
the  summer  sky,  or  lay  lazily  under  the 
shade  of  grand  old  trees,  half-lulled  to  sleep 
by  the  whispering  breezes  among  the  leaves 
or  the  low  musical  sounds  of  the  waters. 

At  Athlone  we  crossed  the  river  Shannon. 
From  the  bridge  a  good  view  was  obtained  of 
the  river,  and  of  the  lower  part  of  Lough  Ree, 
whose  waters  expand  in  the  distance.  Athlone 
is  well  situated,  and  when  we  first  saw  it,  and 
also  on  our  return,  it  presented  an  agreeable 
picture.  We  arrived  in  Galway  after  dark,  so 
that  we  could  not  see  anything  of  the  city 
until  the  following  morning./ 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  We  took  an 
early  morning  walk,  which  well  repaid  the 
trouble.  The  poorer  classes  of  people  are  very 
old-fashioned,  and  appeared  to  good  advan- 
tage on  the  streets  and  aboiit  their  homes 
during  the  morning  hours.  In  the  middle 
ages  Galway  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the  trade 
with  Spain,  and  probably  many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  modern  Galway  have  a  considerable 
mixture  of  Spanish  blood  in  their  veins,  and 
possess  many  Spanish  characteristics,  because 
of  the  close  and  long-continued  intermingling 


and  the  Holy  Land,  441 

of  the  two  peoples.  We  entered  almost  every 
church  in  the  city,  and  finally  remained  in 
one  to  hear  Mass.  After  breakfast  we  took 
the  tram  car  and  rode  some  distance  along 
the  bay.  We  took  a  seat  on  top  of  the  car, 
from  which  we  got  a  good  prospect  of  the 
city  and  harbor.  At  the  end  of  the  line  we 
alighted,  and  continued  on  foot  some  distance 
farther.  The  view  was  somewhat  obscured  by 
mists,  which  indicated  a  rain-storm  later  in 
the  day.  The  harbor  is  really  a  fine  one, 
and  it  is  a  pity  that  its  advantages  are  not 
more  generally  turned  to  use ;  but  the  hope 
is  entertained  that  when  through  Home  Rule 
prosperity  returns  to  the  island,  Galway  will 
take  its  place  among  the  most  important 
maritime  cities  of  the  British  Isles./ 

Across  the  bay  through  the  misty  distance 
rose  the  indistinct  outlines  of  hills  and  moun- 
tains, which  we  would  gladly  have  seen  un- 
der a  clearer  sky ;  but  sea  and  land,  over 
which  hovered  the  spirit  of  the  storm,  pre- 
sented a  greater  attractiveness  and  more  char- 
acteristic wildness  of  nature  to  the  western 
coast  of  Ireland  than  would  have  been  afforded 
under  a  brighter  sun.  The  western  shores  of 
Erin  are  regions  of  romantic  interest,  where,  on 
the  extreme  coast-line  of  Europe,  they  pre* 


442  A    Visit  to  Europe 

sent  their  great  rocky  sea-wall  to  the  mists  and 
storms  and  wild  billows  of  the  northern  At- 
lantic. / 

Having  seen  the  town  to  our  satisfaction, 
we  returned  to  our  hotel,  and  soon  after  hired 
a  jaunting-car  to  convey  us  to  Tuam  on  our 
way  to  the  village  and  chapel  of  Knock.  The 
first  part  of  the  journey  was  pleasant,  as  the 
rain-storm  threatening  us  had  not  yet  arrived. 
One  feature  of  this  and  adjoining  parts  of 
Connaught  was  new  to  us ;  instead  of  the 
green  hedges  which  are  seen  in  all  directions 
elsewhere"  in  Ireland,  here  their  places  are 
taken  by  gray  stone  walls,  which,  so  far  as 
the  eye  can  see,  checker  the  landscape.  This 
part  of  Connaught  was  much  better  in  soil 
and  appearance  than  I  had  expected  to  find  it. 
When  we  had  gone  several  miles  into  the 
country  we  began  to  meet  men  and  women 
returning  from  Mass,  and,  having  passed  the 
church,  we  overtook  many  on  the  road.  They 
were  a  healthy,  robust-looking  people,  with 
whom  hardships  and  poverty — endured  with  a 
good  conscience,  in  the  mild,  healthy  climate 
of  their  native  land — seemed  to  agree.  Yet 
there  are  so-called  statesmen  who  are  narrow 
enough  and  hard-hearted  enough  to  advocate 
driving  such  people  into  exile — which  they 


and  the  Holy  Land,  443 

call  assisted  emigration — where,  even  though 
they  get  a  more  generous  diet,  their  bright, 
happy  looks  and  rosy  cheeks  are  retained 
only  for  a  few  years./ 

Soon  afterwards  we  passed  an  old  castle  in 
ruins,  close  to  the  banks  of  a  winding  stream, 
where  a  goodly  number  of  young  men  Lad 
gathered  and  were  engaged  in  youthful  sports. 
The  rain,  which  for  some  distance  back  had 
only  been  drizzling,  now  became  drenching. 
During  the  remainder  of  our  journey  we  met 
but  few  passengers  on  the  road,  and  persons 
for  the  most  part  kept  within  their  houses, 
looking  out  of  the  windows  and  open  doors  at 
the  rain— an  old,  dear,  familiar  acquaintance. 
In  seasons  too  wet  they  probably  forget  to 
love  their  old-time  companion,  but  without 
doubt  they  would  be  lonesome  without  him. 
We  met  one  carriage — with  a  liveried  driver 
—hurrying  along.  We  covered  ourselves  from 
the  rain  as  closely  as  possible,  and  with  the 
aid  of  our  umbrellas  kept  almost  dry.  / 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  at- 
tained an  eminence  which  overlooked  a  fresh, 
green,  undulating  expanse  of  country,  in .  the 
midst  of  which  lay  the  white  and  gray  walls 
of  the  houses  of  Tuam,  above  which,  here 
and  there,  its  church-steeples  uplifted  their 


444  A    Visit  to  Eiirope 


crosses  towards  the  sky.  St.  Jarlatli  estab- 
lished a  see  in  Tuam  early  in  the  sixth  cen- 
tury, and  founded  a  famous  school  in  its  vi- 
cinity, where  St.  Brendan,  abbot  of  Clonfert, 
and  St.  Colman,  first  bishop  of  Cloyne,  re- 
ceived their  saintly  training.  When  we  had 
arrived  in  the  town  we  drove  to  Daly's  ho- 
tel, which,  for  an  inland  country  town,  prov- 
ed to  be  among  the  best  that  we  found  in 
Ireland.  As  it  continued  to  rain  I  did  not 
venture  out,  but  my  companion  took  a  little 
out- door  exercise  on  the  soaked  streets. 

Towards  evening,  when  the  weather  had  re- 
turned to  a  drizzly  state,  we  went  out  to- 
gether to  visit  the  cathedral,  which  is  a  large, 
substantial  structure,  rather  commodious  than 
ornate.  \ 

The  next  morning  we  took  passage  on  a 
mail-car  for  Claremorris.  On  the  car  with  us 
were  a  sick  girl  and  her  mother,  who  had 
come  some  distance  to  see  a  priest  who  lived 
between  Tuam  and  Claremorris  who  had  ac- 
quired a  reputation  for  curing  the  sick ;  an 
Irish  nationalist,  who  could  give  us  informa- 
tion on  every  imaginable  subject  connected 
with  the  country,  and  who,  considering  his  edu- 
cation, was  a  clever  talker;  and  an  old  Irish 
gentleman  of  the  old  stock,  the  most  charac,- 


and  the  Holy  Land  445 

teristic  portions  of  whose  dress  were  leggins 
and  a  high  hat  which  had  long  served  to  es- 
tablish the  respectability  of  its  owner.  Judg- 
ing from  the  inquiring  glances  cast  at  him  by 
several  female  passengers  whenever  a  particu- 
larly strong  national  sentiment  was  uttered,  I 
concluded  that  he  owned  perhaps  a  few  more 
acres  than  somebody  else./ 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  Claremorris 
and  drove  to  a  hotel  for  dinner.  After  we  had 
dined  we  hired  a  jaunting-car  to  convey  us  to 
Knock.  A  part  of  our  ride  was  through  a  pleas- 
ant country,  while  a  portion  of  it  led  through 
a  bleak  and  desolate  district,  where  we  saw  a 
number  of  half -ruined  and  tenantless  cabins. 
We  asked  about  them,  and  were  informed 
that  this  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  late 
evictions.  I  know  nothing  more  of  this  par- 
ticular case,  but  this  I  do  know,  that  many 
of  the  heart-rending  scenes  of  eviction  in  Ire- 
land take  place  in  the  poorest  and  most  des- 
olate parts  of  the  country,  and  the  poor  vic- 
tims who  are  driven  out  of  their  homes  are 
unable  to  pay  the  extortionate  rent  demand- 
ed of  them,  even  though  they  have  gone 
from  place  to  place  working  for  others,  in  or- 
der to  remain  in  the  poor  little  cabins  where 
they  were  born  or  where  they  began  their 


446  A '  Visit  to  Europe 

wedded  life.  Without  doubt  there  are  many 
kind-hearted  and  noble-minded  landlords  in 
Ireland  who  possess  all  the  qualities  of  true 
Christian  gentlemen,  and  against  such  I  have 
not  one  word  to  write ;  but  probably  a  larger 
number,  in  proportion,  of  Irish  landlords  have 
been  unchristian,  unjust,  and  hard-hearted 
towards  their  tenants  than  of  any  other  land- 
lords in  any  civilized  country  on  the  face  of 
the  globe.  \ 

That  such  men  should  call  themselves  either 
true  gentlemen  or  true  Christians  is  an  incon- 
sistency ;  for  the  true  gentleman  has  gentle  feel- 
ings, manifested  externally  in  gentle  manners  in 
all  his  relations  and  dealings  with  his  fellow- 
men,  whether  they  are  his  superiors,  equals,  or 
those  in  a  more  humble  condition  of  life.  Yet 
these  tyrannical  landlords — frequently  absentees 
—who  compose  a  numerous  class  of  Irish  landed 
proprietors,  have  subjected  to  rack-rents  and 
harsh  treatment  one  of  the  poorest  and  most 
patient  tenantries  of  the  world,  and  when  ten- 
ants refuse  to  pay  their  unjust  demands  they 
have  a  great  deal  to  say  in  hypocritical  tones 
about  their  dishonesty.  A  true  Christian  must 
be  just  in  all  things,  even  though  the  civil  law 
might  permit  injustice.  But  many  Iri^h  land- 
lords have  formed  their  conscience  according  to 


and  the  Holy  Land.  447 

other  standards  than  those  of  Catholic  moral 
theology,  otherwise  they  would  rio£  dare  to  de- 
mand a  higher  price  for  the  use  of  their  land 
than  it  is  worth.  These  men  have  often  col- 
lected double  the  rent  that  their  land  was  really 
worth,  and  for  so  many  years  that,  were  they 
to  make  restitution,  the  half  starved  victims  of 
their  oppression,  instead  of  being  evicted  from 
their  holdings,  would  own  them  in  fee  simple. 

Knock  was  not  more  than  one  hour's  ride  from 
Claremorris,  and  soon  the  thatched  hamlet,  with 
its  chapel  of  world-wide  reputation,  appeared  be- 
fore ns.  We  first  visited  the  chapel  and  said 
some  prayers,  and  then  called  on  the  parish 
priest,  Archdeacon  Kavanagh,  by  whom  we  were 
kindly  received.  He  told  ns  that  onr  other 
companion  had  left  the  village  that  morning 
after  celebrating  Mass.\ 

There  is  only  one  hotel  in  Knock,  which  is 
about  a  half-mile  or  more  distant  from  the 
church.  We  found  it  to  be  a  retired  and  pleas- 
ant place.  It  was  formerly  the  most  respectable 
private  residence  in  the  neighborhood,  where  the 
proprietor  yet  lives,  although  he  has  set  apart  a 
portion  of  his  house  for  the  uses  of  a  hotel,  and 
has  hired  persons  to  conduct  it.  It  is  situated 
in  a  grove  of  fine  trees  which  extend  down  the 
avenue  to  the  road.  Having  made  all  necessary 


448  A    Visit  to  Eiiropc 

arrangements,  we  walked  through  the  fields  to 
the  chapel.  It  was  near  sunset,  and  as  we  loit- 
ered on  the  way.  with  the  grove  of  stately  trees 
behind  us — and  forming  a  pleasant  feature  of  the 
landscape — and  the  little,  silent  village  before  us, 
we  began  to  enjoy  in  their  fulness  the  peaceful 
happiness  and  quiet  contentment  of  the  Irish 
country  districts,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of 
every-day  rural  life  in  Ireland  when  far  re- 
moved from  the  highways  of  traffic.  | 

The  church  has  been  much  improved  in  size 
and  appearance  since  the  concourse  of  visitors  to 
Knock.  I  will  abstain  from  any  opinion  with 
reference  to  the  supernatural  manifestations  or 
apparitions  said  to  have  been  witnessed  here,  as 
ecclesiastical  authority  has  not  yet  pronounced 
as  to  their  truth  or  nature.  One.  fact  is  certain, 
that  every  visitor  in  Knock  will  see  perhaps  a 
hundred  canes  and  crutches  hung  up  against  the 
outside  walls  of  the  chapel,  left  there  by  the  in- 
firm and  cripples  as  proof  of  their  cure. 

The  next  morning  we  said  Mass  at  the  princi- 
pal altar  of  the  church,  after  which  Archdeacon 
Kavanagh  showed  us  many  presents  received 
from  different  persons,  one  of  the  finest  coming, 
as  a  token  of  gratitude,  from  the  bishop  of  To- 
ronto, in  Canada.  \ 

After  breakfast  we   started  on  a  jaunting-car 


and  the  Holy  Land.  449 

for  Ballyliaunis,  where  we  would  take  the  train 
back  to  Dublin.  The  morning  was  bright  and 
warm.  The  road  led  through  a  country  district 
that  seemed  never  to  have  .been  entered  by  the 
pleasure-seeking  tourist.  I  do  not  remember 
that  we  met  even  one  wheeled  vehicle  for  many 
miles.  Large  girls  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
years  of  age  were  frequently  met  on  foot,  driv- 
ing donkeys  with  creels  of  turf  upon  their  backs, 
which  was  being  stored  for  winter  fuel,  and 
which  was  heaped  up  in  piles  near  their  dwell- 
ings. We  also  met  and  overtook  so  many  chil- 
dren— some  of  them  barefooted — on  their  way  to 
school  that  we  could  hardly  see  how  the  school- 
house  could  contain  them.  Some  of  them— small 
children,  too — must  have  walked  several  miles. 
There  was  a  cheerful,  earnest  look  on  their  faces 
which  I  always  like  to  see  with  school  children. 
It  is  an  indication  of  that  eagerness  for  book- 
learning  which  has  always  characterized  the  Cel- 
tic Irish  child.  I  am  convinced  that  no  children 
in  the  world  are  more  ready  to  embrace  every 
opportunity  to  acquire  learning  than  Irish  chil- 
dren in  Ireland,  and  their  readiness  amounts  to 
a  genuine  eagerness.\ 

When  we  arrived  in  Ballyhaunis  the  streets 
were  alive  with  people,  and,  from  the  number 
of  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs  that  were  gathered 


450  A    Visit  to  Europe 

in  many  of  the  public  places  of  the  village, 
we  concluded  that  it  must  be  some  kind  of 
market-day.  We  entered  the  church,  but  re- 
mained only  a  few  minutes,  and  then  took  a 
stroll  through  the  streets,  and  tried  to  imbibe, 
with  as  little  effort  as  possible,  the  spirit  of  a 
market  day  morning  in  an  Irish  country  town. 
On  a  knoll  at  the  end  of  the  village  towards 
the  railway  station  were  the  ruins  of  an  old 
monastery,  which  must  have  been  merely  ruins 
for  a  century  at  least.  It  is  doubtful  if  any 
of  the  monks,  who  dwelt  within  those  walls 
laid  low,  were  remembered  even  in  the  child- 
hood memories  of  the  grandfathers  of  the  gray- 
haired  men  of  the  present  generation.  I  did 
not  inquire  nor  have  I  read  about  them,  for 
sometimes  I  prefer  to  fill  into  the  framework 
which  I  know  to  be  real,  pictures  of  the  im- 
agination.\ 

At  the  station  we  met  an  excellent  young 
man  who  had  crossed  the  ocean  with  us,  and 
who  had  soon  become  intimate  with  my  com- 
panion, whose  brother  lived  in  his  neighbor- 
hood in  Pennsylvania.  While  we  were  travel- 
ling on  different  continents,  he  had  been  en- 
joying the  well-remembered  scenes  of  his  na- 
tive land.  How  many  exiled  hearts  long  for 
that  privilege,  but  almost  fear  to  attain  it 


and  the  Holy  Land.  451 

on  account  of  the  disappointments  that  must 
necessarily  come  through  the  changes  of  years  ! 
He  had  just  returned  from  Lough  Derg,  in 
Donegal,  where  he  had  made  the  Stations  of 
St.  Patrick's  Purgatory.  We  had  intended 
to  go  there,  but  it  was  now  Tuesday,  and 
our  steamer  would  sail  from  Queenstown  on 
Friday  afternoon,  and  we  had  yet  to  see  the 
Rock  of  Cashel  and  the  lakes  of  Killarney./ 
The  railroad  towards  Dublin  passed  down 
through  the  entire  length  of  the  County 
Roscommon  and  through  the  city  of  Ros- 
common,  which  is  famous  as  having  once 
been  the  seat  of  the  royal  house  of  O'Con- 
nor. For  some  time  before  reaching  Athlone 
the  bright  waters  of  Lough  Ree  amid  shores 
of  emerald  delighted  the  eye.  From  Athlone 
we  returned  to  Dublin  over  the  same  route  by 
which  we  came.  In  the  compartment  with  us 
was  a  gentleman  with  his  mother.  I  should 
judge  that  he  belonged  to  the  middle  class, 
but  he  was  a  person  of  much  more  than  ordi- 
nary intelligence,  and  had  lived  for  some  years 
in  Richmond,  Virginia,  although  he  had  re- 
turned to  live  in  Ireland.  As  we  were  passing 
a  workhouse  he  told  us  the  number  of  pau- 
pers in  all  the  workhouses  of  Ireland.  I  have 
forgotten  the  exact  number,  but  it  was  sur- 


45 2  ^    Visit  to  Europe 

prisingly  large.  When  we  consider  liow  ad- 
verse the  Irish  are  to  becoming  paupers — prob- 
ably the  proudest,  in  this  matter,  of  any  race 
in  existence — these  figures  show,  as  plainly  as 
they  can  prove  anything,  the  terrible  misgov- 
ernment  of  the  country.  \ 

When  we  reached  Dublin  we  were  joined 
by  the  third  member  of  our  party,  who  had 
just  returnee!  from  Belfast.  Dublin  now  be- 
gan to  seem  to  us  like  home,  and  the  per- 
sons in  our  hotels  like  familiar  acquaintances, 
to  which  and  whom  we  should  bid  good-by  on 
the  morrow,  probably  for  ever.  My  two  friends 
declare  that  in  five  years  they  will  return  to 
Europe  ;  but  as  for  myself,  I  so  much  dread 
the  Atlantic,  if  I  ever  return  it  Avill  be  that 
my  last  sigh  on  earth  may  be  breathed  forth 
in  the  land  in  which  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Son  of  Mary  commended  His  spirit  into  the 
hands  of  his  Eternal  Father. 


and  tlie  Holy  Land.  453 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

CASHEL   OF  THE   KINGS   AND   THE    LAKES    OF  KIL- 
LARNEY. 

THE  next  morning  we  left  Dublin  by  the 
same  railway  by  which  we  entered  it  nearly 
four  months  before.  We  intended  to  reach 
Killarney  that  evening,  but  on  the  way  we 
would  stop  over  at  Goold's  Cross  station,  from 
which  we  would  visit  Cashel — "  Cashel  of  the 
Kings."  The  round  tower  at  Kildare,  Slieve 
Bloom  Mountains,  and  the  "Devil's  Bit" 
looked  slightly  more  familiar  than  they  did 
on  our  upward  journey.  At  the  station  in 
Thurles  we  bought  some  blackthorn  sticks. 
At  Goold's  Cross  station  we  took  a  jaunting- 
car  for  Cashel,  which  was  distant,  through  a 
fine,  undulating  country,  about  five  or  six 
miles.  Before  we  reached  Cashel  the  majestic, 
ruin-crowned  Rock  raised  its  sublime  head 
amidst  the  fertile  plain.  \ 

The  ruins  and  Rock  of  Cashel  are  without 
doubt  the  most  historic  combination  in  Ire- 
land. The  earliest  legendary  history  of  this 
celebrated  Rock  relates  that  the  devil  was 
once  making  an  excursion  over  this  part  of 


454  ^    Visit  to  Europe 


Ireland,  and,  feeling  hungry,  took  a  bite  out 
of  the  mountain  at  the  place  called  the  Dev- 
il's Bit;  but  finding  it  gritty  and  unpalata- 
ble, he  let  it  fall  in  the  plain,  where  it 
remains  the  Rock  of  Cashel.  On  this  Rock 
the  ancient  kings  of  Munster  were  crowned 
and  had  their  palace.  On  this  Rock  ^Engus, 
king  of  Munster,  was  baptized  by  the  hand  of 
St.  Patrick.  At  the  opening  of  the  ninth 
century  Cormac  Mac  Cullinan,  the  bishop-king, 
founded  a  church  on  its  heights,  which  in 
the  tenth  century  were  fortified  by  Brian 
Born.  In  the  twelfth  century  Cormac' s  chapel 
was  built  by  Cormac  Mac  Carthy,  and  in  the 
same  century  the  cathedral  of  St.  Patrick  was 
erected  by  Donald  O'Brien,  king  of  Munster. 
These  two  structures  are  among  the  most  im- 
portant and  best  preserved  ruins  of  the  royal 
Rock.  Near  the  cathedral  stands  a  massive 
square  tower  or  castle.  Not  far  distant  is  a 
large  Celtic  cross  of  grit  stone,  supposed  to 
date  from  the  time  of  Cormac' s  chapel.  The 
ancient  round  tower,  which  here,  as  elsewhere 
in  Ireland,  adds  such  enchantment  to  historic 
ruins,  and  so  much  picturesqueness  to  their 
pictures,  is  about  twenty  feet  in  diameter  at 
its  base,  and  ninety  feet  in  height.  \ 

When  the  traveller   looks  up   at  this  Rock, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  455 

whose  great  stone  temples  and  strongholds  are 
crumbling  into  pieces  under  the  touch  of  the 
finger  of  time,  he  cannot  realize  the  remarkable 
events  that  have  taken  place  on  those  heights 
and  in  the  surrounding  plain  below,  nor  the 
scenes  of  pageantry  and  splendor  that  have 
been  a  thousand  times  witnessed  in  the  pagan 
and  Christian  ages  of  the  past.  Chieftains, 
prelates,  and  kings  have  ascended  the  rocky 
paths  that  led  to  the  sanctuaries  of  religion  and 
strongholds  of  power  and  influence,  for  pur- 
poses of  devotion  or  consultation,  and  often- 
times to  make  preparations  for  battle  or  long- 
continued  Avars,  from  which  they  would  return 
with  the  waving  plumes  and  banners  and  tumul- 
tuous noise  of  victory,  or  lifeless,  with  cold, 
white  face  upturned,  as  they  were  borne  on 
their  shields  by  their  warlike  retainers,  march- 
ing with  steady  step  and  muffled  sounds.  And 
then  again  hostile  armies  bearing  hostile  flags 
have  swarmed  around  the  base  of  Cashel's 
Rock,  while  out  of  its  castellated  ramparts  its 
brave  defenders  have  poured  forth,  and  half- 
way down  its  heights  have  met  their  foes  in 
deadly  conflict.  Beneath  its  broken  arches 
kings  and  bishops  sleep  their  last  sleep,  wait- 
ing the  final  summons  ;  but  before  that  day 
conies  will  there  be  a  resurrection  of  Cashel's 


456  A-    Visit  to  Europe 

ancient  glory?  Kings  'may  never  rule  there 
again,  but  let  us  live  in  hope  that  the  time  is 
not  far  distant  when  on  the  summit  of  Cashel's 
historic  Rock  a  new  cathedral  shall  rise  from 
the  ruins  of  its  ancient  temples,  and  that  on 
its  consecration-day  a  long  line  of  Ireland's 
bishops  will  join  in  a  grand  religious  procession, 
symbolical  of  a  full  return  to  the  inheritance 
of  their  fathers.  May  jthe  poetic  spirit  of  the 
closing  lines  of  a  poem  that  I  once  wrote  become 
prophetic — but  in  a  more  peaceful  way : 

Behold  ye  Cashel's  Rock  o'erhead  ! 
I  see  strange  visions  of  the  dead, 
Which  fill  my  soul  witli  mighty  dread  ; 

I  see  from  out  historic  graves 
Strange  visions  rise  and  disappear, 

And  Cashel's  ancient  banner  waves, 
And  sounds  of  triumph  reach  my  ear. 

I  see  the  king,  and  bard,  and  priest, 
In  grand  procession  like  a  feast, 
Come  forth  and  hail  the  sunlit  east; 
And  crumbling  bones  take  flesh  again, 

A  mighty  army  is  revealed, 
Which  nerves  the  arms  of  living  men, 

And  fights  with  golden  sword  and  shield  ', 
And  Ireland  wins,  as  win  she  must, 
For  God  has  always  been  her  trust, 
And  God  is  true,  and  God  is  just,  y 

After  we  had  driven  to  a  hotel  and  had  made 


and  the  Holy  Land.  457 


arrangements  for  dinner,  we  returned  to  the 
Rock.  We  were  admitted  by  the  custodian 
through  the  walls  which  enclose  the  summit. 
Wo  then  wandered  about  at  will,  climbing  to 
some  of  the  higher  windows,  where  we  enjoyed 
a  very  extensive  view,  both  near  and  far,  of  the 
fertile  Golden  Vale  of  Minister.  Having  suffi- 
ciently satisfied  our  laudable  curiosity,  we  re- 
turned to  the  hotel,  and  soon  afterwards  to  the 
railway  station  in  time  for  the  afternoon  train 
south,  which  would  connect  at  Mallow  with 
the  train  for  Killarney.  The  ride  back  to  the 
station  on  that  bright  afternoon  was  very 
pleasant.  \ 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  arrived  in  Killar- 
ney. Jaunting-cars  were  waiting  at  the  station 
to  convey  passengers  to  the  various  hotels. 
\Ve  chose  the  Lake  hotel,  which  is  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  shores  of  the  lower  lake.  In  the 
morning  we  looked  out  of  the  window  over  the 
lake,  with  its  craggy  rocks  and  sylvan  islands, 
while  near  at  hand  and  stretching  away  in 
the  distance  green,  blue,  and  purple  mountains 
reflected  the  morning  sunlight.  The  lake  dis- 
trict of  Killarney  has  not  inaptly  been  entitled 
''the  Mecca  of  every  pilgrim  in  search  of  the 
sublime  and  beautiful  in  nature,  the  mountain 
Paradise  of  the  West."/ 


458  A    Visit  to  Europe 

After  breakfast  we  started  on  a  jaunting-car 
through  Killarney,  and  around  the  lakes  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Gap  of  Dunloe.  This  brought  us 
to  the  very  opposite  extremity  of  the  lakes  from 
that  on  which  our  hotel  was  situated.  On  our 
way  we  stopped  at  the  cathedral  in  Killarney, 
which  was  designed  by  one  of  the  Pugins.  In 
the  morning  we  began  to  discover,  what  the  day 
fully  disclosed  to  us,  that  the  region  of  Killarney 
possesses  some  of  the  most  magnificent  trees  in 
Ireland,  and  the  lawns  and  greensward  spread- 
ing out  from  the  highway  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  are  as  delightful  as  any  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  The  ride  to  the  "Gap,"  in  the  balmy 
morning  air  and  mild  sunshine,  would  tend,  if 
too  often  indulged  in,  to  make  romantic  dream- 
ers of  the  least  poetic.  Very  near  the  opening 
to  the  Gap  we  visited  the  "cottage  of  Kate 
Kearney"— now  occupied  by  a  descendant  of 
the  original  Kate  Kearney,  made  famous  in 
song  by  Thomas  Moore — where  you  can  take 
your  choice  of  goat's  milk  or  "mountain 
dew";  and  you  will  get  the  same  choice  of 
"good  or  evil"  at  short  intervals  all  the  way 
through  this  famous  mountain  defile.  The 
"Gap"  extends  about  four  miles  between 
Toomies  Mountain  and  the  Macgillicuddy 
Range,  the  heights  on  either  side  being  lofty 


and  the  Holy  Land.  459 

and  wild  in  appearance.  On  the  way  through 
some  of  the  more  rugged  and  romantic  parts 
of  the  glen  several  men  made  themselves 
generally  but  picturesquely  useless  by  firing 
old  anvils,  in  order  to  awaken  the  echoes  of 
the  mountains  and  the  generous  spirit  of  the 
tourist.  A  stream  flows  through  the  entire 
defile,  at  times  widening  into  small  mountain 
lakes.  When  we  had  made  about  half  of  tins 
part  of  our  trip,  which  had  to  be  accomplished 
on  horseback,  a  blind  fiddler  and  his  wife, 
standing  under  a  sheltering  rock,  attracted  our 
attention.  He  played  for  our  benefit  with  vigor 
and  spirit,  and  his  airs  were  full  of  patriotism, 
for  he  seemed  unmindful  or  regardless  of  the 
fact  that  any  one  would  ever  pass  that'  way 
except  men  of  the  strongest  Irish  national 
sentiment^. \ 

The  principal  attractions  of  Killarney  have 
been  described  so  many  times  that  it  would 
hardly  interest  but  would  rather  confuse  the 
reader  to  give  a  new  and  extended  descrip- 
tion of  such  well-known  objects  as  the  Too- 
mies  Mountain,  the  Macgillicuddy  Range,  Man- 
gerton,  Devil's  Punch-Bowl,  Glen  of  the  Horse, 
Purple  Mountain,  Tore  Mountain,  Carran  Tual, 
Loch  Bubh,  Eagle's  Nest,  Old  Wier  Bridge, 
Meeting  of  the  Waters,  Dinis  Island,  and 


460  A    Visit  to  Europe 

Glena  Bay.  Our  exit  from  the  Gap  was  near 
the  head  of  Upper  Lake,  where  the  boats  were 
waiting  for  us.  We  enjoyed  a  delightful  ride 
through  Upper  and  Middle  Lakes  and  out 
upon  the  waters  of  Lower  Lake,  which  had 
become  somewhat  rough  under  a  stiff  breeze 
that  had  sprung  up  since  morning.  / 

The  boatmen  were  hardly  satisfied  to  row 
us  to  the  island  of  Innisf alien,  as  it  was  con- 
siderably out  of  their  way ;  but  as  I  cared 
more  to  see  that  island  than  everything  else 
in  Killarney,  I  insisted,  and  they  yielded.  As 
they  had  to  row  against  the  waves,  it  must 
have  been  nearly  a  half -hour  before  we 
reached  a  landing.  This  island,  which  is 
called  the  "Gem  of  Killarney,"  contains  about 
twenty-one  acres.  When  we  had  landed,  each 
took  his  own  course.  I  wandered  about  in 
search  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  monastery 
founded  by  St.  Finian  in  the  sixth  century, 
and  on  account  of  which  the  island  became 
so  celebrated.  Here  the  Annals  of  Innisf  al- 
ien were  written,  which  are  so  often  quoted 
by  historians.  The  ruins  are  overgrown  with 
trees  and  vines,  which  hold  J;hem  together.  It- 
is  said  that  the  wide  spreading  ash-trees  which 
overshadow  them  are  among  the  largest  and 
iinest  in  Ireland.  In  fact,  magnificent  groves 


and  the  Holy  Land.  461 


of  ash,  holly,  beech,  yew,  and  other  trees  are 
seen  on  every  part  of  the  island,  between  which 
are  green  lawns  and  sunny  glades,  which  look 
out  upon  the  waters  of  -the  beautiful  lake  and 
its  numerous  isles.  Standing  on  some  spot 
where  we  could  get  glimpses,  in  places,  of  the 
bright  water,  and  on  other  sides  a  more  ex- 
tended view  of  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  and 
through  the  branches  of  the  trees  the  irregu- 
lar outlines  of  the  blue  mountains,  Innisf alien 
seemed  to  us  to  be  one  of  the  most  favored 
places  on  earth  for  poetic  musing  or  heavenly 
contemplation^ 

Innisf  alien  is  one  of  the  few  places  in  the 
world  where  I  would  willingly  spend  a  life- 
time. It  is  now  the  property  of  the  Earl  of 
Kenmare,  whose  new  and  splendid  residence 
appears  on  the  mainland  in  full  view  of  the 
island.  On  leaving  its  shores  we  appreciated 
the  lines  of  Thomas  Moore : 

"  Sv*eet  Innisfallen.  fare  thee  well; 

May  calm  and  sunshine  long  be  thine! 
How  fair  thou  art  let  others  tell- 
To  feel  how  fair  thou  art  is  mine. 

"  Sweet  Innisfallen,  long  shall  dwell 

In  memory's  dream  that  sunny  smile, 
Which  o'er  thee  on  that  evening  fell, 
When  first  I  saw  that  fairy  isle. 


462  A    Visit  to  Europe 


"  Weeping  or  smiling,  lovely  isle! 

And  all  the  lovelier  for  thy  tears; 
For  though  but  rare  thy  sunny  smile, 
'Tis  heav'n's  own  glance  when  it  .appears. 

"Like  feeling  hearts  whose  joys  are  few, 
But  when  indeed  they  come,  divine, 
The  brightest  light  the  sun  e'er  threw 
Is  lifeless  to  one  gleam  of  thine!"/ 

Alter  our  return  to  the  hotel  we  drove  to 
Muckross  Abbey,  which  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  venerable  and  perfect  middle-age 
ruins  in  Ireland,  mantled  with  ivy,  and  sur- 
rounded by  one  of  the  most  beautiful  de- 
mesnes in  the  British  Isles.  An  aged  yew-tree, 
said  to  be  as  old  as  the  abbey  itself,  stands 
in  the  centre  of  the  ancient  enclosure.  The 
immediate  grounds  are  used  as  a  burial-place, 
and  beneath  the  pavements  of  Muckross  lie 
the  mortal  remains  of  several  of  the  celebrated 
kings  of  MunsterA 

At  six  o'clock  we  left  the  station  at  Kil- 
larney  on  our  way  to  Cork  and  Queenstown, 
at  which  latter  place  we  arrived  late  in  the 
evening.  Early  the  next  forenoon  we  saw  the 
vessel  which  was  to  bear  us  to  New  York  rid- 
ing at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  Early  in  the 
afternoon  we  went  aboard  the  tender  which 
brought  us  alongside  the  great  Atlantic  steamer, 


and  the  Holy  Land.  463 


and  soon  after  we  were  on  deck  ready  to 
commence  the  voyage  across  the  vast  expanse 
of  waters. 

To  me  the  voyage  was  .a  dreary  one,  although 
the  thought  of  home  lighted  up  the  inner 
temple  of  my  soul,  where  the  gloom  of  na- 
ture could  cast  no  shadows.  Thirteen  priests 
were  among  the  passengers.  On  the  second 
Sunday  morning  after  leaving  Queenstown  our 
vessel  was  steaming  past  Staten  Island  into 
New  York  Bay,  and  I  recognized  the  fact  that 
we  had  enjoyed  but  few  brighter  or  more 
beautiful  scenes  in  the  bays  and  harbors  of 
the  Old  World  than  the  one  now  presented  to 
our  eyes.  On  landing  we  drove  to  the  hotel ; 
and  we  arrived  at  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  in 
time  for  ten  o'clock  Mass. 

A  few  days  afterwards  and  I  was  at  home 
again.  A  few  days  more  passed  by,  and  I 
was  hardly  able  to  realize  that  I  had  been 
away  from  home,  and  the  scenes  which  we 
beheld  in  foreign  lands'  seemed  to  exist  only 
in  the  enchanted  realms  of  dream-land. /( 

FINIS. 


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